Page:Ornithological biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America, vol 2.djvu/568

532 small, neck rather long, body bulky. Feet of ordinary length ; tarsus feathered, as are the toes, excepting towards the end, where they are covered with small scales and three terminal scutella ; hind toe extremely short, two lateral equal; claws slightly arched, depressed, broad, with thin edges, and rounded.

Plumage compact, the feathers generally rounded, those of the head and upper neck narrow and proportionally short. The legs and toes covered with hair-like feathers. Wings short, the primaries strong, nar- row, tapering, curved, third longest, second and fourth little shorter. Tail short, even, or very slightly rounded, of fourteen bi-oad feathers, and four narrower central ones, which are superior.

Bill black. Iris brown. Toes and claws dark brown, the edges of the latter yellowish-grey. Head and neck bright chestnut, the feathers on the back part of the latter and crown of the head barred with black, and tipped with whitish. The back, some of the wing-coverts, the nearer secondary quills, the four upper tail-feathers, the anterior part of the breast, and part of the sides imder the wings, variegated with brownish- black, chestnut and white, the feathers being of the first colour in the middle, and transversely barred with the second towards the end, while the terminal margin is of the last. Most of the coverts, all the primaries, and the greater number of the secondaries, with the whole under surface of the wings, the middle of the breast, the abdomen, legs and feet, pure "white, the shafts of the primaries are more or less brown, excepting to- wards the ends. The fourteen tail-feathers are brownish-black, with the tips white, as is the basal portion of the outer web of the outermost. The superciliary membranes are vermilion.

Length 17 inches, extent of wings 26^; bill along the ridge | ; tar- sus 1 1 ; middle toe with the nail 1 /^ ; weight 1 1 lb.

Adult Female, in summer. Plate CXCI. Fig. 2.

In the female the superciliary membrane is much smaller, but of the same colour, as are the wings and tail. The head, neck, breast, abdomen, sides, as well as the upper parts, are variegated in a manner resembling the back of the male, but with the black spots larger, and the transverse bars of light brownish-red, broader and less numerous ; the lower surface much lighter.

Length 16 inches, extent of wings 25 ; weight 1 lb.