SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 87 



male, but black duller, or slaty. Youny : similar to adult female, but 

 feathers of back bordered with buffy, and blackish of head and neck mot- 

 tled with buffy. Length: 10.50-15.50, wing- 8.50-9.00, bill 2.50, tarsus 4. 



Distribution. — The United States, mainly in the western interior, and 

 southward to Brazil and Peru ; north casually to Minnesota and New 

 Brunswick. Breeds from southern Texas to Oregon. 



Nest. — A slight dejiression in the sand or on wet ground ; or eggs laid 

 in a bunch of dry grass. Il^yys : 3 to 4, buff or olive brown, thickly spotted 

 with dark brown. 



Ill spltu of its apparently extravagant length of legs the black- 

 necked stilt is a graceful, well-balanced bird, whether stepping 

 daintily over the grass tops, wading in half a foot of water, swim- 

 ming when beyond its depth, or flying witli head drawn back and 

 legs straight out behind. As the birds alight they raise their black 

 pointed wings over their white body a moment, assuming a pose 

 that is not only strikingly beautiful but doubtless an important 

 directive and recognition signal. Sometimes when quietly feeding 

 one will lift its wings in this way, without apparent reason. 



Much of the stilt's food is gleaned from the surface of the shallow 

 water or from plant stems rising from it, and its reason for prefer- 

 ing the flooded marsh to the open pond is presumably the greater 

 abundance of minute insect life found among the aquatic plants. 



Veknon Bailey. 



FAMILY SCOLOPACIDiE : SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 



KEV TO GKNKKA. 



1. Back of tarsus covered with hexagonal scales Numenius. p. 101. 



r. Back of tarsus with a row of transverse scutelhe. 



2. Ears anterior to eyes, thighs wholly feathered . Philohela, p. 88. 

 2 . Ears posterior to eyes or directly under them. 



."J. Ears directly undt-r eyes, lower part of thighs naked. 



4. Crown and back broadly striped . . . . GallinagO, p. 88. 



4'. Crown and back mottled, not striped. 



Macrorhamphus, p. 80. 

 8'. Ears j)osterior to eves. 



4. Hind toe- wanting Calidris, p. 04. 



4 . Hind toe jjnsscnt. 



5. No trace of web between toes. 



0. iJiil longer than middle toe and claw . . Tringa, p. 90. 

 ()'. Bill shorter than middle toe and claw . Tryngites, p. 100. 

 5'. A distinct web betw(!en middle ;uid one or both lateral toes. 

 0. Tail much graduated, about li.ilf as long as wing. 



Bartramia, i>. 00. 

 G'. Tail not much graduated, not nearly half ;is long as wing. 



7. liill longer tlian tail Llmosa. p. 05. 



7'. Bill sborter tb.iii t.iil. 



8. Bill distinctly widened and rongbeiied .it tip. 



Micropalama, p. 00. 



