History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

110 BIRDS. PRESSIROSTRES. Strepsilas.and white below than in the old birds. The Knot, named after King Canute,who prized it for the table, formerly visited the fens of Lincolnshire in autumn,and was caught and fattened with the ruff. According to Montagu,(Supp. Orn. Diet.), it does not now visit its former haunts, nor is it known tobreed in England. It probably breeds in Orkney, as I have shot one in Sandaon the 15th June (1U08).157. T. striata (Brisson). Purple Sandpiper.— Base of thebill and legs yellow,the two middle tail-feathers black.Linn. Syst.i. 248. Fab. Faun. Groen. 107 T. maritima (Brunich), Markwick,Linn. Trans, W. 22.— T. nigricans, Mont. ib. p. 40.— T, marit.Temm. Orn. ii. 619—A winter visitant.Length 8|, breadth 15 h inches ;weight 2 ounces. Bill 1| long, red at thebase, black at the tip. Legs yellow. I rides dusky. Plumage, above, blackwith a violet gloss, each leather margined with white ; neck and breast greyish-white,with lanceolate, dusky spots middle of the ; belly white. Quillsblack, the shafts and edges of the exterior webs white. Hump and two middletail-feathers black, the rest cinereous with white margins. In winter, theplumage above becomes dull, with a feebler gloss of purple, and the edges ofthe feathers have a grey margin. In the young, the feathers above are black,with white changing into red margins;and the edges of the wing-covers havemuch white This is not uncommon on the sea-shore during winter.158. T. pugnax. Ruff.— Tail rounded, the two middle feathersbarred, the three lateral ones plain.Avis pugnax, Will. Orn. 224—T. pugnax, Linn. Syst.i. 247— Ruff,Gambet (T. gambetta), Perm. Brit. Zool. ii. 457-405 — Ruff, Gambet,Greenwich Sandpiper, Equestrian Sandpiper, and Yellow-legged Sandpiper,Mont. Orn. Diet. App. and Supp. t. p.Temm. Orn. ii. fi31E, (males) Ruffs, (females) Reeves—A summer visitant.Length 1, breadth 2 feet ;weight 7 ounces. Bill yellow, sometimes blackat the tip.Feet yellow. Irides brown. Face naked, covered with yellowwarts. A spreading tuft of feathers on each side of the neck. The wing-coversare brown, incliningto ash colour. The middle tail-feathers are barredwith black and brown ; the lateral ones are cinereous-brown. The lateraland under covers white. The rest of the plumage subject to vary. The/