Widmann — A Preliminary Catalog of the Birds of Missouri. 65 



St. Charles Co. Though Mr. Nehrhng found the Woodcock com- 

 mon in autumn 1884 in Lawrence Co. and mounted specimens 

 are in the collections of Mr. LeBlanc at Springfield and Mr. 

 Kastendieck at Billings, the species does not seem to be of fre- 

 quent occurrence in the western part of the state. 



230. Gallinago delicata. (Ord). Wilson's Snipe. 



Scolopax delicata. Scolopax gallinago. Scolopax Wilsoni. Gallinago 

 Wilsoiii. Scolopax Drummondi. Scolopax Douglasii. Am. Snipe. 

 Long-bill. Jack Snipe. 



Geog. Dist. — From northern South America through Central 

 America and West Indies north to the Arctic circle. Breeds 

 from northern United States northward and winters from 

 Florida and southern Texas southward. 



In Missouri the Snipe is a common transient visitant of general 

 distribution, both east and west, spring and fall, though varjdng 

 much both in time of presence and in numbers. In some seasons 

 the first Snipes are taken in the neighborhood of St. Louis in the 

 second half of February (February 17, 1897; February 20, 1898; 

 February 24, 1886; February 28, 1904; in others in the first part 

 of March, in some years not before the midlde of March (March 

 15, 1888; March 15, 1902; March 13, 1903). The bulk of the 

 species is present from the 15th to the 20th of March till from 

 the 20th to 25th of April ; the last are all gone before the end 

 of the month. In the more northern parts of the state the first 

 appear seldom before the middle of March (March 13, 1900, 

 Keokuk), usually between the 20th and the 25th and remain to 

 the close of April, sometimes into May (May 9, 1896, St. Joseph; 

 May 7, 1894; May 7, 1897; May 12, 1895, Keokuk). In their 

 southward migration in fall they are even more uncertain in time 

 and numbers than in spring. Exceptionally early dates are 

 August 17, 1897, and September 3, 1893, Keokuk, and August 31, 

 1886, St. Louis. After the middle of September their appearance 

 may be expected along our northern boundary (September 19, 

 1902; September 20, 1899, Keokuk). In central Missouri the 

 first are taken in the second week of October, but Snipes are 

 seldom plentiful in Missouri before the middle of October and cease 

 to be so after the first week of November, though some linger into 

 the latter part of the month (November 21, 1897 and 1899; 

 November 24, 1896 and 1900, Keokuk) and exceptionally longer 

 (December 14, 1904, St. Charles Co.) even in northern Missouri. 

 In the most southern part of the state a few may remain in mild 



