Part 25

Bill nearly one-half longer than the head, dusky green; legs long dull greyish-green; all the lower parts, and the back, excepting a small portion anteriorly, pure white; the fore part of head and cheeks also white; loral band with small oblong spots of greyish-brown, sides of lower part of fore neck and a portion of the breast faintly undulated with grey; upper part of head, hind part and sides of neck, greyish-white, lineated with greyish-brown; scapulars and inner secondaries greyish-brown, edged with greyish-white, and lined or mottled with dark brown towards the margins; smaller wing-coverts plain brown, the larger darker near the edge, and margined with whitish, as are the outer secondaries; primary quills and coverts dark brown, the shaft of the outer white; tail greyish-white, undulated with light brown, the outer four feathers on each side with only a series of spots on the outer edge, which on the outermost feathers is almost obliterated.

_Male_, 11, wing, 7.

Only three procured on Sand Key, Florida.

Scolopax Glottis, Linn. Syst. Nat. v. i. p. 245.

Greenshank, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 68.

Greenshank, Totanus Glottis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 483.

348. 5. Totanus semipalmatus, Lath. Semipalmated Tatler.--Willet. Stone Curlew.

Plate CCLXXIV. Fig. 1. Male in spring. Fig. 2. Female in winter.

Bill nearly a half longer than the head, rather stout, light blue, dusky toward the end; feet long, rather stout, light blue, the basal membranes large. In summer, the head and neck brownish-grey, streaked with blackish-brown; throat and a band from the bill over the eye white; fore part of back and scapulars brownish-grey, variegated with central marks of blackish-brown; third part of back brownish-grey with a gloss of olive; wing-coverts grey, with central lines of brownish-black; primary coverts and primary quills brownish-black, the latter white in their basal half; outer secondaries white, inner like the scapulars; lower wing-coverts and axillar feathers blackish-brown; breast and sides white, the latter transversely undulated with brownish-black; abdomen, and lower and upper tail-coverts white, with a few dusky bars; four middle tail-feathers barred with brownish-black and brownish-grey, the rest pale grey, fading to white on the outer, and all more or less minutely undulated with pale brownish-grey.

_Male_, 15-1/2, 27-3/4. _Female_, 15-1/2, 31.

Breeds abundantly in Texas, and along the Atlantic shores to New York, sparingly as far as Massachusetts. Constant resident in the Southern States. Rare in the interior.

Semipalmated Snipe, Scolopax semipalmata, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 27.

Totanus semipalmatus, Semipalmated Tatler, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 388.

Semipalmated Snipe or Willet, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 144.

Semipalmated Snipe or Willet, Totanus semipalmatus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 510; v. v. p. 585.

GENUS V. LIMOSA, Briss. GODWIT.

Bill very long, slender, subcylindrical, tapering to an obtuse point, slightly recurved; upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly curved upwards, the ridge convex, the sides with a narrow groove extending almost to the point, the edges rather obtuse, the tip very slightly enlarged; lower mandible with the angle very long and extremely narrow, the sides with a narrow groove extending almost to the end, the edges blunt, the tip obtuse. Nostrils basal, linear, nearer the edge. Head small, oblong; neck rather long, slender; body slender. Feet long and slender; tibia bare for about a third, anteriorly scutellate; tarsus long, slender, scutellate before and behind; toes small, slender, scutellate above; anterior connected by webs at the base, first very small. Claws small, compressed, slightly arched, obtuse. Plumage soft and blended. Wings rather long, narrow, very acute; primaries tapering, the first longest, the inner secondaries elongated. Tail short, even, of twelve narrow rounded feathers.

349. 1. Limosa Fedoa, Linn. Great Marbled Godwit.

Plate CCXXXVIII. Male and Female.

Bill dull flesh-colour at the base, blackish-brown toward the end; feet bluish-grey; head and neck light yellowish-grey, streaked with dusky; the rest of the upper parts spotted and barred with brownish-black and greyish-yellow; alula and primary coverts brownish-black, as are the outer webs of the first three quills, those of the other primaries, and both webs of the secondaries, reddish-ochre, all more or less finely mottled with dusky, and the primaries of that colour towards the end, but with the terminal margins whitish; the inner secondaries barred like the back, as are the tail-feathers; breast, abdomen, and lower surface of wings, light reddish-yellow, the axillar feather of a deeper tint, the sides faintly barred with dusky.

_Male_, 16-1/2, 28-1/2. _Female_, 20-1/2.

Passes in spring from Texas along the coast, in immense flocks, to Massachusetts, and apparently across the land, to the Saskatchewan, where it breeds. None seen in Labrador. A few breed in South Carolina, perhaps also in Texas. Not observed in the Western Country. In autumn returns southward beyond the limits of the United States.

Great Marbled Godwit, Scolopax Fedoa, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 30.

Limosa Fedoa, Bonap. Syn. p. 328.

Limosa Fedoa, Great Marbled Godwit, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 395.

Great Marbled Godwit, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 173.

Great Marbled Godwit, Limosa Fedoa, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 287; v. v. p. 590.

350. 2. Limosa Hudsonica, Lath. Hudsonian Godwit.

Plate CCLVIII. Adult, Male, and Young Female.

Bill greyish-yellow, dark brown along the ridge of the upper mandible, and blackish toward the tips of both; feet light greyish-blue; head and neck brownish-grey, with darker lines; a band from the bill over the eye, and the throat, greyish-white; back deep grey, the scapulars brownish-black, with small white markings on the edges of the feathers; smaller wing-coverts, alula, primary quills, and their coverts brownish-black; secondaries lighter, and with their inner webs pale grey; tips of primary coverts and bases of quills white, as is a broad band over the rump; tail-feathers and upper tail-coverts brownish-black, their bases white; lower parts bright yellowish-red, the sides mottled with dark brown; abdomen and lower tail-coverts paler and variegated with dusky; lower wing-coverts blackish-brown, edged with whitish. Young in winter with the lower parts pale brownish-grey, the upper brownish-grey, the fore part of the back and scapular brownish-black, the feathers edged with light brownish-red, wing-coverts brownish-grey.

_Male_, 15-3/4, 28. _Female_, 16-3/4, 29.

Rather rare along the Atlantic Districts in spring and autumn. Breeds in the barren grounds of the Arctic seas in great numbers. Migratory.

Scolopax hudsonica, Lath. Ind. Orn. v. ii. p. 720.

Limosa hudsonica, Hudsonian Godwit, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 396.

Hudsonian Godwit, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 175.

Hudsonian Godwit, Limosa hudsonica, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 426; v. v. p. 592.

GENUS VI. SCOLOPAX, Linn. SNIPE.

Bill twice as long as the head; subulate, straight, compressed for half its length, depressed toward the end; upper mandible with the dorsal line declinate at the base, then straight, at the end slightly arched, that part being considerably enlarged, the ridge convex, towards the end flattened, the sides with a narrow groove extending to near the tip, the edges soft and obtuse or flattened, the tip narrowed, but blunt; lower mandible with the angle extremely long and narrow, the sides erect, with a longitudinal groove, the edges flattened, and directly meeting those of the upper mandible, the extremity enlarged, the tip contracted and rather blunt. Nostrils basal, linear, very small. Head rather small, oblong, the forehead elevated and rounded; neck rather short; body rather full. Legs of moderate length, slender; tibia bare below; tarsus scutellate before and behind; toes very slender, free, scutellate; first toe very small and elevated, lateral toes nearly equal, the outer connected with the third by a basal web. Claws small, slightly arched, compressed, rather acute. Plumage very soft, rather dense. Wings long, narrow, pointed; the first quill longest; inner secondaries much elongated. Tail moderate, nearly even.

351. 1. Scolopax Wilsonii, Temm. Wilson's Snipe.--Common Snipe. English Snipe.

Plate CCXLIII. Male and Female.

Tail of sixteen feathers; upper part of head with two brownish-black longitudinal broad bands, separated by a narrower central pale brown band; another band of the latter colour on each side over the eye, then a loral band of dark brown; chin whitish; neck pale reddish-brown, spotted with brownish-black; general colour of upper parts brownish-black, variegated with pale reddish-brown, of which latter colour are the outer edges of the scapulars and of the lateral feathers on the anterior part of the back; wing-coverts and inner secondaries similarly mottled, the smaller anterior coverts, primary coverts, primary quills, and outer secondaries, deep brown, more or less tipped with white; first quill with the outer web brownish-white, rump barred with yellowish-grey and dusky; upper tail-coverts similar, but the larger barred with brownish-red and black; tail-feathers brownish-black at the base, with a broad subterminal band of brownish-red on the outer web of the two middle, and on both webs of the rest, excepting the outer on each side, which is barred with brownish-black and white, the black bars five, the tips of all white; anterior part of breast like the neck, the rest white; abdomen and lower tail-coverts greyish-yellow, barred with brownish-black, as are the sides; axillars white, barred with greyish-black, lower wing-coverts similarly marked.

Male, 10-1/2, 17.

Distributed throughout the country. Breeds from Virginia northwards. Exceedingly abundant in the Southern and Western Districts during winter.

Scolopax Wilsonii, Bonap. Syn. p. 330.

Snipe, Scolopax Gallinago, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vi. p. 18.

Scolopax Wilsonii, Wilson's Snipe, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 401.

Wilson's Snipe, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 185.

American Snipe, Scolopax Wilsonii, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 322; v. v. p. 583.

352. 2. Scolopax Drummondii, Swains. Drummond's Snipe.

Not figured.

"Dorsal plumage and wings mostly brownish-black; the top of the head, scapulars, interscapulars, intermediate coverts, posterior greater ones, and tertiaries, reflecting green and mottled, or barred with yellowish-brown; this colour also forming stripes from the forehead to the nape, over the eyes to the sides of the neck, and more broadly on the exterior edges of the scapulars and interscapulars; middle dorsal plumage and first quill fringed with white, and most of the wing-coverts and lesser quills tipped with the same. Shafts of the primaries deep brown, an inch of the first near its point whitish. Rump and tail-coverts rich greenish-black, with reddish-orange or ferruginous ends, crossed by a blackish subterminal line, and tipped with white; the three exterior pairs barred externally with clove-brown and brownish-white, the white tips broader; the two intermediate pairs coloured nearly like the middle ones, but partly barred and tipped with white. Under plumage, a dark brown stripe on the lores, another under the ear; sides of the head, front of the neck, and breast pale wood-brown, with central spots of dark umber; the flanks, insides of the wings, and under tail-coverts barred with black and white, which on the latter is tinged with brown; belly white; bill blackish towards its tip, dark wood-brown at the base. Length 11-1/2, wing 5-3/8.

"Fur Countries to Lat. 55°. Rocky Mountains."

Scolopax Drummondii, Drummond's Snipe, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 400.

Drummond's Snipe, Scolopax Drummondii, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 319.

353. 3. Scolopax Noveboracensis, Gmel. Red-breasted Snipe.

Plate CCCXXXV. Adult in summer and winter.

Tail of twelve feathers; bill dark olive; feet light yellowish-olive. In summer, the upper parts brownish-black, variegated with light brownish-red, the feathers being margined and the scapulars obliquely barred with that colour; hind part of back, upper tail-coverts, and tail-feathers light buff or white, barred with black, the bars on the tail seven or eight, and its tip white; wing-coverts and secondaries greyish-brown, margined with greyish-white; secondary coverts tipped with white, the quills tipped and obliquely banded with the same; alula, primary coverts, and quills brownish-black, the shaft of the first quill white; from the base of the bill to the eye, and surrounding it, a dull reddish-white band; loral space dusky; all the lower parts dull orange-red, with streaks and spots of black, more numerous along the sides and on the tail-coverts. In winter, the upper parts of a nearly uniform brownish-grey, the hind part of the back and tail barred as in summer, head and neck all round ash-grey, streaked with dusky, the rest of the lower parts greyish-white, the sides barred with dusky.

_Adult_, 10-1/4, 18-1/2.

Passes in immense numbers from Texas eastward and northward to the highest latitudes, where it breeds, and returns in autumn. Occasionally seen in groups through the interior. Columbia River.

Red-breasted Snipe, Scolopax noveboracensis, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 48.

Scolopax grisea, Bonap. Syn. p. 330.

Scolopax noveboracensis, New York Godwit, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 398.

Brown or Red-breasted Snipe, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 181.

Red-breasted Snipe, Scolopax noveboracensis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 285.

GENUS VII. MICROPTERA, Nutt. BOGSUCKER.

Bill double the length of the head, straight, slender, tapering, subtrigonal, and deeper than broad at the base, slightly depressed towards the end; upper mandible with the ridge narrow, towards the end flattened, the sides with a narrow groove extending to near the tip, the tip blunt, knob-like, and longer than that of the lower. Head rather large, oblong; eyes large, and placed high; neck short; body full. Feet rather short; tibia feathered to the joint; tarsus rather short, compressed, scutellate; first toe very small, the third much longer than the tarsus. Claws very small, arched, acute. Wings short, rounded, the fourth and fifth quills longest, the first three extraordinarily attenuated. Tail very short, cuneate, of twelve feathers.

354. 1. Microptera Americana, Aud. Common Bogsucker.--American Woodcock.

Plate CCLXVIII. Male, Female, and Young.

Bill and feet flesh-coloured; forehead yellowish-grey, with a few dark mottlings in the centre; on the upper part of the head two broad blackish-brown transverse bands, and on the occiput two narrower, separated by bands of light red; a brownish-black loral band, and a narrow irregular line of the same across the cheek, and continued to the occiput; upper parts variegated with brownish-black, light yellowish-red, and ash-grey; inner wing-coverts and secondary quills similarly barred, the outer pale greyish-red, faintly barred with dusky; quills brown, tipped with dull grey, secondaries spotted on the outer web with dull red; upper tail-coverts barred; tail-feathers brownish-black, their tips grey, their outer edges mottled with reddish; sides of the neck grey, tinged with red; lower part in general light red, tinged with grey on the breast, on the sides and lower wing-coverts deeper; lower tail-coverts with a central dusky line, the tip white. Young with a longitudinal black band on the head.

_Male_, 11, 16. _Female_, 11-7/12, 17-1/4.

Distributed throughout the country. Extremely abundant in the Middle and Eastern Districts, as well as in the interior, where it breeds, as far as Nova Scotia. Equally abundant in winter in the Southern States, though many migrate southward.

Scolopax minor, Gmel. Syst. Nat. v. i. p. 661.

Woodcock, Scolopax minor, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vi. p. 40.

Scolopax minor, Bonap. Syn. p. 331.

Lesser Woodcock, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 194.

American Woodcock, Scolopax minor, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 474.

GENUS VIII. RECURVIROSTRA, Linn. AVOCET.

Bill twice the length of the head, very slender, much depressed, tapering to a point, and slightly recurved; upper mandible with the dorsal line straight for half its length, then a little curved upwards, and at the tip slightly decurved, the ridge broad and flattened, the edges rather thick; nasal groove rather long and very narrow; lower mandible with the angle long and very narrow, the dorsal line slightly curved upwards, the point very slender, extremely thin, and a little curved upwards. Nostrils linear, basal. Head small, rounded above, rather compressed; neck long; body compact. Legs very long, slender; tibia bare for half its length, and reticulated; tarsus very long, compressed, reticulated with hexagonal scales; toes rather short, the first extremely small; outer toe a little longer than inner; anterior toes connected by webs of which the anterior margin is deeply concave. Claws very small, compressed, rather acute. Plumage soft and blended. Wings long, pointed, the first quill longest; inner secondaries elongated and tapering. Tail short, even, of twelve rather narrow rounded feathers. Tongue short in proportion to the length of the bill, slender, tapering to a point; œsophagus wide, considerably dilated at the lower part of the neck; stomach an oblong gizzard of moderate strength, its epithelium hard, longitudinally rugous; intestine long and of moderate width; cœca rather long.

355. 1. Recurvirostra Americana, Linn. American Avocet.

Plate CCCXVIII. Adult, and Young in winter.

Bill black; feet light blue; head, neck, and fore part of breast reddish-buff, the parts around the base of the bill and the eye nearly white; back white, with a longitudinal band of brownish-black elongated feathers on each side; inner scapulars of the same colour, the outer and interior edge of the wing being white; wing brownish-black, with a broad band of white, formed by the tips of the secondary coverts, four of the inner secondaries, and the basal part, with the inner webs and outer edges of the rest; lower parts white.

_Male_, 18, 30-5/8.

Passes along the coast from Texas northward, in small numbers, a few breeding in New Jersey. Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Abundant in the Rocky Mountains, and the Fur Countries. Migratory.

American Avocet, Recurvirostra Americana, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 126.

Recurvirostra Americana, Bonap. Syn. p. 394.

Recurvirostra Americana, American Avocet, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 375.

American Avocet, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 74.

American Avocet, Recurvirostra Americana, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 168.

GENUS IX. HIMANTOPUS, Briss. STILT.

Bill about twice as long as the head, very slender, roundish, tapering, slightly recurved; upper mandible with its outline slightly curved upwards, the ridge rather flattened, the sides convex, the edges inflected, the tip narrow and rather acute; nasal groove nearly half the length of the bill; lower mandible with the angle very long and narrow, the sides grooved as far as the angle. Nostrils linear, direct, subbasal. Head small, ovate, rounded above; neck very long and slender; body rather compact. Legs extremely elongated, slender; tibia bare for more than half its length, covered anteriorly with large curved scutella; tarsus very long, moderately compressed, scutellate before, reticulate on the sides; toes of moderate length, slender; first toe wanting; outer a little longer than inner, anterior toes webbed at the base. Claws small, nearly straight, moderately compressed. Plumage ordinary. Wings very long, of moderate breadth, acute, the first quill longest. Tail short, even, of twelve feathers.

356. 1. Himantopus nigricollis, Vieill. Black-necked Stilt.--Lawyer.

Plate CCCXXVIII. Male.

Bill black; feet lake-coloured; upper part of head, fore part and sides of neck, and all the lower parts, together with the hind part of the back, rump, and tail, white, the middle feathers of the latter tinged with ash-grey; hind neck, fore part of back, scapulars, wings, and lower wing-coverts, bluish-black, glossed with green. Young individuals have only the forehead white, and the back greyish-brown.

_Male_, 14-1/2, 27. _Female_, 14, 25-3/4.

Rather common in Texas during spring. Breeds on different parts of the Atlantic coast, as far as Long Island. A few spend the winter about the mouths of the Mississippi. Migratory.

Long-legged Avocet, Recurvirostra Himantopus, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 48.

Himantopus nigricollis, Bonap. Syn. p. 322.

Black-necked Stilt, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 8.

Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus nigricollis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 247.

GENUS X. NUMENIUS, Briss. CURLEW.

Bill very long, slender, subcylindrical, slightly compressed, more or less arcuate or decurved; upper mandible with the ridge broad and flattened at the base, broad and rounded in the rest of its extent, a deep groove running from the nostrils to near the tip, which is decurved, enlarged so as to form an oblong obtuse knob, projecting beyond the point of the lower mandible, the edges rounded; lower mandible similar in its curvature to the upper, its angle extremely narrow, and extending to near the middle, the ridge rounded, the sides with a shallow groove to near the end, the edges directly meeting those of the upper, the tip obtuse. Head rather small, oblong, compressed; neck long; body compact. Feet long; tibia bare below; tarsus scaly above, scutellate for two-thirds; toes rather small, scutellate, first very small, lateral nearly equal. Claws small, compressed, blunted. Wings long, very acute, the first quill longest, some of the inner secondaries greatly elongated. Tail short, much rounded, of twelve rounded feathers.

357. 1. Numenius longirostris, Wils. Long-billed Curlew.

Plate CCXXXI. Male and Female.

Bill more than four times the length of the head, nearly straight to the middle, beyond which it is slightly decurved, deep brown, toward the base dark flesh-coloured; feet light greyish-blue; general ground colour of the plumage light yellowish-red; the head marked with oblong spots; the back with spots and bars of brownish-black; alula and outer web of first four quills deep brown, the rest of the quills of the general colour, barred on both webs with dark brown, as are the tail-feathers; upper part of throat and lower eyelid whitish; neck marked with longitudinal lines of brownish-black; sides barred with the same, as are the lower larger wing-coverts; the rest of the lower parts unspotted, the sides and lower wing-coverts of a richer yellowish-red than the rest. The bill varies from seven to nine inches.

_Male_, 26, 40.

Resident, and breeds in the Texas and on the Islands off South Carolina. Stragglers go far north. Columbia River. Occasionally seen in the interior.

Long-billed Curlew, Numenius longirostris, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 23.

Numenius longirostris, Bonap. Syn. p. 314.

Numenius longirostris, Long-billed Curlew, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 376.

Long-billed Curlew, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 94.

Long-billed Curlew, Numenius longirostris, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 240; v. v. p. 587.

358. 2. Numenius Hudsonicus, Lath. Hudsonian Curlew.

Plate CCXXXVII. Male.