Genus TOTANUS.

Gren. Cuar. Beak moderate, often slightly recurved, rounded, hard, and pointed; the upper
mandible sulcated, and having the tip arched and curving over that of the lower one.
Nostrils basal, lateral, linear, and longitudinally cleft in the furrow of the mandible.
Legs long, slender, naked above the tarsal joint. Toes three before and one behind, the
former united at the base by a small membrane, hind toe short ; front of the tarsus and toes

scutellated.

SPOTTED REDSHANK.

Totanus fuscus, Lezs/.

Le Chevalier arlequin.

Tue ornithologist cannot but be gratified and greatly interested in the study of the family of which the
present species forms an example. Independently of the graceful form which this elegant bird possesses, it is
characterized by a change of colouring as singular as it is chaste and becoming. We allude to the contrast
of its summer and winter dress, as well as to that which distinguishes the young of the year, in which stage
the whole of the upper plumage has the margins of the feathers thickly spotted with white, as is found in the
wing-feathers of the birds in the present Plate, more particularly like that of the olive-coloured bird, which
is figured in a particular stage, partly that of winter and partly that of immaturity, the uniform colouring of
the back, which in perfectly adult birds extends over the wings, being the usual characteristic of the winter
dress. The dark-coloured bird in the foreground of our Plate is in a stage of plumage common to both sexes
during the breeding-season, in which state they are extremely rare, their breeding-places being in the
northern regions of Europe, and the examples we occasionally obtain are consequently in general more or
less imperfect: notwithstanding this, we have had frequent opportunities of examining this bird in all
its changes; it is, however, one of those irregular visitants whose appearance is not to be depended on, It
traverses an extensive range of country, being abundant in many parts of Asia, whence we have received
examples strictly identical with those of Europe. _ Its favourite places of residence are the borders of rivers,
lakes, and morasses, where it feeds on freshwater mollusca, insects, and worms. On the neighbouring parts
of the Continent it appears to be as scarce and irregular in its visits as it is in the British Islands. Of
its nest and eggs nothing has been correctly ascertained.

The plumage of summer may be thus detailed ; Head, neck, back, and under parts dark greyish black ;
the rump white ; wing-coverts and scapularies dark greyish black, with their edges spotted with numerous
dots of white ; upper tail-coverts barred with black and greyish white; quills black; bill black at the tip and
red at the base ; legs orange red.

In winter the whole of the upper surface is brown, with a tinge of olive ; the under surface is pure white ;
the legs, beak, wings, and tail being the same as in the summer plumage.

The sexes offer no difference except in size, the female being somewhat the largest.

The Plate represents two birds, the one in the plumage of summer, the other a bird between youth and

maturity, assuming its winter dress.

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