GRALL.E SCOLOPACID-E — LIMOSA. 253 



brown ; on the inner webs, buff sprinkled with black. Chin and line from the upper mandi- 

 ble above the eye, white. Beneath pale reddish brown or buff, with small dusky spots on 

 the neck. Upper tail-coverts and tail with many alternate bars of reddish and brown. In 

 the Cabinet of the Lyceum, is a specimen with an unusual variety of plumage, which I have 

 thought proper to figure, rather than the ordinary plumage of this well known species. The 

 breast, belly and flanks with broad and narrow brownish bars ; the ordinary deep buff of the 

 lower parts is here of a faint cream-color : the bill was 4" 7 in length. 



Length, 16-5-19-0v 



The female of this species is much larger than the male. It is described in the books as 

 the Great Marbled Godtvit, a name entirely unknown to the people of the country. With 

 us it is generally called the Marlin, and less frequently Red Curlew, Straight-hilled Curlew 

 and Dough-bird. Its flesh is tender and much esteemed. They arrive on the coast of this 

 State in May, and the greater part proceed north to breed. They return in large flocks in 

 August, and remain until November, when they proceed to their winter quarters south of the 

 United States. They have been observed by Dr. Kirtland in Ohio. Their geographical 

 range extends from 21 to 68° north. Feed on aquatic insects, leeches, small marine mol- 

 lusca, crabs and worms. 



THE RING-TAILED MARLIN. 



LlMOSA HUDSONICA. 



PLATE CHI. FIG. 230 (Winter). 



(CABINET OF THE LYCEUM.) 



Hudsonian Godwit. Pennant, Arct. Zool. Suppl. p. G8. 



Scolopax hudsonica. Latham, Ind. Orn. Vol. 2, p. 396. 



Limosa hudsonica. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. 2, p. 39G, 



L. egocephala. Bonapakte, Ann. Lye. N. Y. Vol. 2, p. 327. Ndttall, Man. Orn. Vol. 2, p. 175. 



L. hudsonica. Audubon, B. of A. Vol. 5, p. 335, pi. 349. Gieaud, Birds of Long Island, p. 260. 



Characteristics. Rump white. Tail doubly forked, white at base, the black tipped with 

 white : axillaries black. Summer, dusky brown varied with reddish ; 

 beneath chesnut, spotted and barred with dusky. Winter, ash brown ; 

 beneath on the breast grey ; below whitish. Length, 16 '0. 



Description. Bill nearly straight, 3 - 5 long. Color. Above light brown, varied with 

 grey and a few white spots. Line over the eye, and chin, light grey : beneath chesnut. 

 Under wing-coverts black. Under tail-coverts dark brown, barred with rusty ; upper tail- 

 coverts and tail brownish black, white at the base, and narrowly tipped with soiled white. 

 Female, beneath dark clay-color. A specimen in the Cabinet of the Lyceum, and which is 

 figured above, presents the following variations from the normal distribution of colors : Bill 



