SCOLOPACID^ — THE SNIPE FAMILY — RHYACOPHILUS. 279 



Hab. The whole of North and Middle America and the greater part of South America, ranging 

 south to Brazil and Peru ; breeding throughout temperate North America, but chiefly northward ; 

 accidental in Europe. 



Sp. Char. Adult in summer: Above, olivaceous slate, rather sparsely speckled with white, 

 the crown and nape indistinctly streaked with the same ; outer upper tail-coverts barred with 

 white ; primaries and primary- coverts plain slate-black. Tail white (the middle feathers dusky), 

 all the feathers widely barred with dusky, these bars most numerous on outer webs, where extend- 



ing to the base of the feathers. Eyelids, supraloral stripe, and lower parts white ; the sides of 

 the head, neck (all round), and jugulum streaked witli brownish slate ; remaining lower parts 

 immaculate. Lining of wing and axillars slate-color, regularly barred with white. Winter lolumage : 

 Similar to the summer dress, but dark ashy above, less distinctly speckled, and foreneck very 

 indistinctly streaked, or simply washed with ashy. Young : Above, grayish brown (lighter and more 

 olivaceous than the adult), thickly speckled with buff' ; crown and nape plain brownish gray; cheeks 

 and sides of neck nearly uniform gray ; foreneck streaked, as in the adult. 



Total length, about 8.00-8.50 inches ; extent, 15.50-16.50 ; wing, 5.00-5.40 ; culnien, 1.15-1.30; 

 tarsus, 1.25-1.30 ; middle toe, 1.00. Bill greenish broMu (in life), dusky terminally; iiis brown; 

 legs and feet olive-green in adult, more grayish in young. 



It is difficult to reconcile all the various statements in regard to the habits of 

 this species, either w^ith our own observations or with the experience of more recent 

 observers. Audubon speaks of finding it nesting in Louisiana, Wilson of its breed- 

 ing in the highlands of Pennsylvania, and Giraud considered it a summer resident 

 of Long Island from May to September. How far these statements are reconcilable 

 with fact, or how far they may be erroneous or exceptional, it is not easy to deter- 

 mine. It may be that, like the Common Snipe, this bird occasionally breeds in 

 unusually southern localities. Mr. J. A. Allen met with it at Ipswich, Mass., in 

 June, under circumstances which led him to feel confident that the bird was breed- 

 ing there. The general rule, however, is that throughout the L^nited States this 

 species is as decidedly migratory as the Winter Yellowdeg, and that if it ever nests 

 south of latitude 43°, the instances are rare, exceptional, or caused by peculiar cir- 

 cumstances. It is common, though not abundant, in Massachusetts in spring and 

 fall, although not known to breed in that State. It comes in the spring in the latter 

 part of May, its stay being short, as it almost immediately passes on to its northern 

 breeding-places. It begins to re-appear in midsummer, or about the 15th of July, 

 and is more or less common from that time up to the last of October. Maynard 

 obtained an example at Erroll, X. H., as late as October 31, when the ponds were 

 frozen over ; and Mr. William Brewster met with partially grown young in Fran- 

 conia, N. H., in August. 



Major Wedderburn states that this Sandpiper — which reminded him so much, 

 both in appearance and in habits, oi Rhyacophllus ylareola of Europe — is found every 



