History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

112 BIRDS. PRESSIROSTRES. Squatabola.front, below the eyes, sides of the breast and thighs, white; nape varied withbrown, black, and white. Back black, with white spots. Quills black, theinner webs more or less white, and the same colour prevailing from the fifthon the outer webs. The long feathers at the base of the wing, underneath,black. Under and upper tail-covers white, with oblique black bands. Inwinter the plumage beneath is white, with cinereous brown spots on the neckand sides ; above a brownish-black prevails, with yellowish spots, and edgedwith ash-grey. Female like the male.— Eggs 4, olive, with black spots.Young spotted below, above tinged with grey; the bands on the tail are—grey.This species frequents the sea-shore during the winter season in smallflocks. I have reason to believe that it breeds in the high grounds of theMearns.Before proceeding to give the characters of the few native birds of that divisionof Pressirostres with only three toes, it is proper to notice two stragglers.1. Cursorius Isabellinm. Cream coloured Courser— Temm. Orn. ii. 513.—This species is a native of Africa, rarely visiting Europe. Three instancesonly have occurred of its having been killed in England. The first at St Albans,in Kent, at the seat of William Hammond, Esq. who presented it toDr Latham. The second was shot in North Wales in 1793, by Mr GeorgeKingston of Queen's College, Oxford. The third is stated in Atkinson'sCompendium of British Ornithology, p. 1G5, as having been shot near Wetherbyin April 1810.2. Himantopus Long-legs— Plinii.255— Will. Orn. 219—Charadrius Himantopus,Linn. Syst. 1. Himantopus melanopterus, Temm. Orn. ii. 528—Sir Robert Sibbald appears to have first recorded the occurrence of this birdin these islands, Scot. III. 18. tab. xiii. fig 2., an individual having been examinedby him which was shot at a lake near the town of Dumfries ; where asecond example was shortly afterwards killed. Mr White states, that six individualsof this species were observed at Frinsham Pond, near Farnham,Surrey, (Nat. Hist. Selborne, ii. 42.) Pennant states, that one was shot atStanton Harcourt Common, near Oxford, (Brit. Zool. ii.476.) The last occurredto Mr Davies of Aber, killed in Anglesea, (Nat. Miscellany, tab. 195.Mont. Orn. Diet. Supp.) The species frequents Africa, Asia, and easternEurope.Gen. LXXIV. CALIDRIS.and enlarged at the point.Sanderling.— Bill depressed,Nasal grooves produced.162. C. arenaria. Common Sanderling.— The two middletail-feathers, bill, irides, and feet, black.225— Arenaria, Will. Orn. 480— 251— Tringa ar. Linn. Syst. 524— i. SanderlingPlover, Penn. Brit. Zool. Cal. ar. Temm. Orn. ii. E, Curwillet,Towwilly, Waddergall W, Llwyd y tywod —Common on the;coast.Length 8, breadth 15 inches ; weight 2 ounces. Bill about an inch inlength, weak and flexible. Face and crown with black spots, edged with redand white. Neck and breast cinereous red, spotted with black. Above, theplumage is black, with white edges ; wing-covers dusky, with zig-zaglines ofred ; belly white. Quills dusky, the secondaries white towards the base.The tail-feathers becoming more cinereous from the two dark middle ones.In winter the plumage below is white, and above cinereous, with duskystreaks. Female like the male—Nest unknown. The young have the duskyplumage of the back, with yellowish borders, and spots of the same colour ;and the breast with waved dusky lines—This species occurs in small flocks