BAR-TAILED GODWIT. 261 



of back white ; tail ivhite, with eight dusky bar's. In summer 

 the upper part of the head blackish-brown, streaked with 

 reddish; band over the eye light red; cheeks, throat, and 

 lower parts light yellowish-red; feathers of the fore part of 

 the back and scapulars blackish-brown, mottled with reddish- 

 yellow and light grey ; hind part of back white, with yelloxo 

 spots ; tail ivhite, barred ivith brown. Young with the upper 

 part of the head blackish-brown, streaked with pale brownish- 

 grey ; band over the eye white dotted with brown; cheeks and 

 neck all round light brownish-grey , streaked with grey ; lower 

 parts white; upper variegated with blackish-brown and pale 

 reddish-grey ; hind part of back white, with dusky spots ; tail 

 white, barred with dusky. 



When seen flying at a moderate distance, this bird so 

 much resembles the Whimbrel, Numsenius Phseopus, that I 

 have several times mistaken it for that species. Not only is 

 the flight similar, but the colours, and especially the white 

 on the hind part of the back, indicate a close affinity. 



Male in Winter. — This species is, like the rest, of 

 rather elegant form, its body being moderately stout ; its 

 neck long and rather slender ; the head rather small, oblong, 

 compressed, rounded above, but narroAved and sloping ante- 

 riorly. The bill is about tAvice the length of the head, 

 tapering, higher than broad at the base, but toward the end 

 rather depressed ; in its whole length slightly curved upwards. 

 One at first would hardly suspect that the curve is so small ; 

 but when a line is drawn from the base of the ridge to the 

 tip, and a line run from it at right angles to the most distant 

 part of the concavity, the latter line measures only a twelfth 

 and a half, or one-eighth of an inch. Both mandibles are 

 flexible in a considerable degree, covered with soft skin until 

 near the end, when it becomes dense, laterally grooved 

 nearly to the points, which are slightly enlarged and obtuse. 

 The upper mandible has the ridge flattened at the base, then 

 narrowed for half its length, again flattened, and at the tip 

 convex ; the lower has the angle long and very narrow, the 

 dorsal line slightly ascending ; the edges of both are soft, 



