132 NOTES ON THE 



color is a clear, light olivaceous-drab; the markings are small 

 and numerous, but not very strongly pronounced — there is noth- 

 ing (in this set) of the heavy blotching and marking usually 

 seen in wader's eggs. The spots are pretty evenly dis- 

 tributed, though rather larger in two instances, and more 

 numerous in the other instance, about the butt than elsewhere. 

 These markings are of various umber-brown shades, with the 

 usual stone-gray shell spots." Since those days it has been re- 

 ported that several nests have been obtained which I have not 

 seen, and I have had only one brought to me. The nest was 

 described as constructed exclusively of grass, in a superficial 

 excavation in the ground, on a dry prairie about 12 miles 

 southwest of this city, and was found on the 5th of June, 1879. 

 The eggs were three in number and essentially as described 

 above, except that the largest was not quite as long as the 

 longest given, and the shortest was a trifle shorter than the 

 shortest, while of the same width. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



Bill long, curved upwards, both mandibles grooved; wings 

 long; tail short; legs long; tibia with its lower half naked; toes 

 rather short, margined and flattened underneath; the outer and 

 middle toes united by a rather large membrane; entire upper 

 parts variegated with brownish -black and pale-reddish, the 

 former disposed in irregular and confluent bands, and the 

 latter in spots and imperfect bauds; in many specimens the 

 black color predominating on the back, and the pale-red on the 

 rump and upper tail coverts; under parts pale rufous, with 

 transverse lines of brownish-black on the breast and sides; 

 under wing coverts and axillaries rufous; outer webs of 

 primaries dark brown, inner webs light rufous; secondaries 

 light rufous; tail light rufous with transverse bars of brownish- 

 black; bill pale yellowish -red at base, brownish-black at the 

 end; legs ashy -black; iris brown. 



Length, 18; wing, 9; tail, 3.50; bill, 4 to 5; tarsus, 3. 



Habitat, North America. 



LIMOSA H^MASTICA (L.). (251). 

 HUDSONIAN GODWIT. 



I have never met with this bird in the flesh, but have found 

 it in several collections, leaving no question of its presence in 

 migration. 



The first instance of its coming under my observation was 

 in t'le collection of Mr. Schroeder, of St. Paul, and subse- 

 quently in Mr. Howling's, of this city. It is found only as 



