SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 95 



The sanderlings are sometimes foimd on the inland lake shores and 

 dm-ing migrations are abundant on the coasts, picking along the 

 sandy beaches, chasing the retreating waves, and catching their food 

 from the squirming life left on the sandy shore. 



GENUS LIMOSA. 



General Characters. — Bill long- and slender, straight, or slig-htly inclined 

 upwards, whole front and back of tarsus covered with transverse scutellae. 



KEY TO SPECIES. 



1. Tail finely barred with cinnamon and dusky .... fedoa, p. 95. 

 1'. Tail black, tip and base wbite heemastica, p. 95. 



249. Limosa fedoa (Linn.). Marbled Godavit. 



.Ulults. — Pluniag-e mainly light cinnamon brown, heavily mottled with 

 black on upper parts, 

 and finely barred with 

 blackish on chest, sides, 

 and tail; throat streaked 

 and chin whitish ; edge 



of wing black. Young: „. .,_ 



similar to adults but 



more ochraceous brown, and breast and sides unmarked. Length : 10.50- 

 20.50, wing 8.50-9.00, bill ;l50-5.0(3. 



Distribution. — Nearly the whole of North America, breeding- in Tran- 

 sition zone from Iowa and Nebraska north to Manitoba, Saskatchewan, 

 and British Columbia ; migrating to Guatemala, Trinidad, Yucatan, and 

 Cuba. 



Nest. — A slight depression in grassy g-round, lined with a little dry 

 grass. £ggs : usually 4. 



On the prairies, Colonel Goss says, the marbled godwits are found 

 in flocks on moist ground and freshwater marshes. Although widely 

 distributed they are not generally common birds in the United 

 States. 



251. Limosa hsemastica (Linn.). Hudsonian Godwit. 



Tail black, tipped with white ; upper coverts crossed by a wide white 

 band. Adults in summer : back black, spotted with buff ; under parts 

 ligbt chestnut, barred with dusky ; head and neck speckled and streaked 

 with buff and dusky ; chin and line over eye whitish. Adults in u'inf(r : 

 h(!ad, neck, and under parts buffy gray ; tipper parts j)lain grayish l)rown. 

 Younq : similar to winter adults but feathers of back scalloped with 

 dusky and huff. Length : 14.()()-1(;.75, wing S. lO-S.C.O, bill 2.S.')-;;.-15. 



Distribution. — Breeding far north, and migrating through the United 

 Stiites ea.st of the Rocky Mountains ; .south to southern South America. 



Nest. — A depression in the ground lined with a few leaves. Kggs : 

 usually 4, deep olive or light brown, spotted with darker brown. 



The Iludsouian godwit has not been taken west of the Kocky 

 Mountains. 



