A Manual of Philippine Birds. Richard C. McGregor
tail, 49; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 20.
“Young.—Somewhat similar to the winter plumage of the adult but not so uniform above; entire under surface pure white, as also the forehead and sides of face; center of forehead mottled with blackish to base of bill; a dusky streak between bill and eye, as well as along upper edge of ear-coverts; on sides of breast and on fore neck a tinge of vinous-buff or vinous; sides of upper breast and of neck distinctly spotted with black; upper surface black, mottled with spots of white or sandy whitish, these spots being mostly terminal on back and scapulars; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts ashy with a sandy buff tip and a subterminal spot of black, and fringed at the tips with a narrow blackish line, giving the rump the appearance of being lined transversely with black; feathers of head blackish, varied with brown or whitish edges, and forming a more or less distinct cap, which is separated from mantle by the light color of hind neck; mantle ashy streaked with dusky brown; wings much as in the winter plumage of the adult but the greater and median coverts, and inner secondaries mottled like the back.” (Sharpe.)
A male taken near Manila in March measures: Wing, 118; tail, 52; exposed culmen, 24; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 19.
Genus PISOBIA Billberg, 1828.
Bill slender and straight, a little longer than tarsus; hind toe small and elevated; small sandpipers about 127 mm. in length.
Species.
a1. Outer tail-feathers pale smoky or ashy brown.b1. Feet blackish; middle toe with claw not over 19 mm.c1. Tarsus slightly more than 20 mm.; sides of face and throat slightly rufescent in summer; rufous color predominating over the black above. minuta (p. 134)c2. Tarsus shorter, about 19 mm.; entire throat and chest bright rufous in summer. ruficollis (p. 135)b2. Feet olive-brown; middle toe with claw about 23 mm. damacensis (p. 136)
a2. Outer tail-feathers pure white. temmincki (p. 137)
113. PISOBIA MINUTA (Leisler).
LITTLE STINT.
Tringa minuta Leisler, in Bechst. Naturg. Deutschl. (1812), 1, 74; Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 273, fig. 63 (head).
Limonites minuta Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 538; Hand-List (1899), 1, 163; Oates, Cat. Birds’ Eggs (1902), 2, 52; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 27.
Mindanao (Mearns). Northern Europe and northern Asia to Lake Baikal; in winter Africa, Indian Peninsula, and Ceylon.
“Adult in winter plumage.—General color above ashy brown, slightly darker along the shafts; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts blackish brown; sides of lower back and lateral upper tail-coverts pure white; tail-feathers light smoky brown, the long central ones dark brown, with a very narrow whitish fringe; wing-coverts rather darker brown than the back, with ashy fringes to the median series; greater coverts tipped with white, forming a wing-band; alula and primary-coverts blackish brown, edged with white at tips; quills dark brown, with white shafts, a few of the inner primaries also edged with white near the base; secondaries dark brown, fringed with white at the tips, bases of inner webs white, forming a continuous band with the one on greater coverts; long inner secondaries light brown like scapulars, the shafts blackish brown; crown brown like the back, the feathers with darker brown centers; forehead and supra-loral region pure white; lores dusky brown; ear-coverts and feathers below eye light brown, with narrow streaks of dark brown; above ear-coverts a streak of white lined with brown, forming an indistinct eyebrow; cheeks, throat, and under surface pure white slightly ashy on throat and fore neck; sides of neck and upper breast brown, with slightly darker centers or shaft-streaks; under wing-coverts and axillars white; coverts round edge of wing dark brown, with white margins; lower primary-coverts dull ashy brown, forming an inconspicuous wing-patch. ‘Bill, feet, and claw black; iris hazel.’ (Seebohm.) Length, 132; culmen, 18; wing, 96; tail, 41; tarsus, 20; middle toe with claw, 18.
“Adult male in summer plumage.—Much more rufous than in winter; feathers of upper surface sandy rufous; black centers and white margins to many of the scapulars and feathers of the back; feathers of head rufous, with black centers; neck rufous, streaked with dusky blackish, these streaks being smaller and less distinct on sides of face, which are also rufous; a slight indication of a whitish eyebrow; under surface white, throat tinged with rufous, chest pervaded with ashy, and throat, fore neck, and sides of breast mottled with dusky spots in the centers of the feathers. Length, 152; culmen, 19; wing, 96; tail, 36; tarsus, 20.
“Adult female in summer plumage.—Similar to the male, but somewhat less distinctly spotted on the breast. Length, 152; culmen, 18; wing, 98; tail, 37; tarsus, 20.
“Young.—Blackish above, with rufous edgings to the feathers, and thus somewhat resembling the summer plumage of the adults, but they may always be distinguished by the more numerous white edgings to the dorsal and scapular feathers, by the ashy color of the hind neck, by the absence of spots on the fore neck and chest, both of which are tinged with isabelline-buff.
“Nestling.—Mottled with rufous and black down, the tips of which are silvery white or sandy buff; the hind neck sandy buff, forming a collar; the crown black, slightly mottled with rufous and dotted with silvery white, the black extending in a line on the forehead, which is buff, continued into a somewhat broad eyebrow; a black loral line and a black spot on each side of the hinder crown as well as on the ear-coverts; under surface of body whitish, with a tinge of sandy buff on the lower throat.” (Sharpe.)
114. PISOBIA RUFICOLLIS (Pallas).
ASIATIC LITTLE STINT.
Trynga ruficollis Pallas, Reise Russ. Reichs (1776), 3, 700.
Limonites ruficollis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 545; Hand-List (1899), 1, 163; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 27.
Ti-út ti-út, Bantayan.
Bantayan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett, McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Cebu (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Cuyo (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Whitehead); Mindanao (Mearns, Celestino); Negros (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Platen, Whitehead, Steere Exp.). Eastern Siberia, Japan, and Korea; in winter Burmese countries to Australia.
“Adult in winter plumage.—Resembles the winter plumage of L. minuta, but distinguished by the whiter fore neck and chest, and by the slightly shorter tarsus. Length, 145; culmen, 18; wing, 96; tail, 42; tarsus, 19; middle toe with claw, 18.
“Adult male in summer plumage.—Much more mottled on the upper surface than in winter, the centers of the feathers being blackish, and upper parts overspread with a brighter chestnut color, with which the feathers are broadly margined; crown blackish, washed with rufous and mottled with gray margins; forehead and eyebrow shaded with bright rufous, this color occupying entire sides of face, sides of neck, throat, and chest; chin whitish. ‘Bill and feet black; iris nearly black.’ (Dybowski.) Length, 135; culmen, 18; wing, 98; tail, 43; tarsus, 19; middle toe with claw, 19.
“Adult female in summer plumage.—Does not differ materially from the male, but is perhaps scarcely so rufous, and retains a little more of the hoary gray of the winter plumage. ‘Iris brown.’ (Everett.) Length, 127; culmen, 18; wing, 99; tail, 43; tarsus, 19; middle toe with claw, 18.
“Young.—Scarcely distinguishable from the young of L. minuta.” (Sharpe.)
“Frequently