SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 89 



in the muddy bottoms, uuder grass, flags, and tules, fishing up his 

 food from the soft mud, the sensitive tip of his long bill enabling 

 him to select the choicest worms and other dainty morsels. 



He is a common bird wherever there are marshes to his taste, and 

 most country folk are familiar Avith his song. On warm summer 

 evenings or cloudy days before a storm he mounts high in air and 

 with rapidly vibrating wings produces a prolonged whirr that in- 

 creases to a diminutive roar, and repeats it every minute or two for 

 sometimes half an hour. At other times he flies low over the grass, 

 uttering a guttural chuck-chnck-chuck-chuck-chuck, and then drops 

 out of sight. His common, all-the-year-round note is a nasal squaiik, 

 uttered as he springs from the ground at your feet and makes ofl' in 

 quick zigzags. 



The only excuse for considering so small a bird game is his swift 

 irregular flight, which saves him from all but the expert wing shot. 



Vernon Bailey. 



GENUS MACRORHAMPHTJS. 



General Characters. — B\\\ similar to that of GalUnago ; lo\ver part of 

 back white, rump spotted black and white ; tail finely cross-barred with 

 black, bnff, and white. 



KEY to summer ADULTS. 



1. Belly rich cinnamon brown scolopaceus. p. 89. 



I'.Belly white or buffy griseus. p. 89. 



231. Macrorhamphus griseus (Gmel.) Dowitchkk. 



Similar to srolopareus but smaller and adults in summer distins^-uished 

 by whitish bellv and duskv specking of sides and breast. L<uy(h : lt>-l 1. 

 wing r).2r)-."',.90," bill L'.00-:i'..V). tarsus 1.20-1..j0. Female decidedly larger 

 than male. 



Distribution. — Eastern North America, breeding far north ; south in 

 winter to Brazil ; west as stragglers (?) to Idalio and Oregon. 



232. Macrorhamphus scolopaceus (>'(/'/)• Lonc-iulled Dow- 



rrcHKK. 



Adults in summer.— A light stripe over ey.' and dusky stripe from eye 

 to bill ; upper ])arts. except rump and 

 lower back, specked and mottled witli 

 black, brown, and bulF ; rump white, 

 spotted with black, tailfeathers barred 

 black and white ; entire under parts 



bright cinnamon specked on tliroat and barred on sides and lower tail cov- 

 erts with dusky. Adults in irinttr : belly and line over eye white: rest 

 of plumage grav. yoK^v .• similar to adults but back and crown mt»ttled 

 with l)lack andochraceous ; bellv and chest sutfiised with light cinnamon. 

 Leniith : 11.00-12..")(), wing .*).4(Mi.(M). lull LMO-o.OO, tarsus l.;5:)-l.T.'). 



Distriliutiiin. — Western North America, breeding in Britisli Columbia 

 and Ahvska ; migrating south through western United States and Missis- 

 sippi valley to northern South America ; less common in eastern United 

 kjtateu. 



