GREAT SNIPE. 365 



extends to the tip, its sides erect, the tip blunt, and two- 

 twelfths of an inch shorter than that of the upper mandible. 



The eyes of moderate size ; the aperture of the ear large ; 

 the nostrils very small, basal, linear. The legs rather short ; 

 the tibia bare for five-twelfths of an inch ; the tarsus short, 

 with twenty scutella ; the anterior toes rather long, slender, 

 compressed ; the claws rather long, arcuate, much com- 

 pressed, acute. 



The plumage is moderately compact ; those of the back 

 and the scapulars much elongated. The wings rather long, 

 of twenty-five quills ; the primaries slightly incurved, the 

 first longest ; the secondaries incurved, rounded at the end, 

 the inner straight, elongated, rather obtuse. The tail short, 

 somewhat doubly emarginate, of sixteen obtuse feathers. 



Bill yellowish-brown at the base, dusky toward the end. 

 Irides brown. Feet pale bluish-green ; claws black. From 

 the bill to the occiput two broad bands of blackish-brown, 

 slightly variegated with light red, and separated by a nar- 

 rower band of pale reddish-brown ; from the bill over each 

 eye a band of pale brown ; the loral band dark brown. The 

 neck all round pale brown, each feather darker in the 

 middle ; the chin pale yellowish-brown. The elongated 

 feathers of the back and the scapulars are brownish-black , 

 variegated with yellowish-brown, externally margined with 

 buff, of which there are thus four longitudinal bands on the 

 back. On the hind part of the back and rump the feathers 

 are barred with pale brownish-yellow and dark brown, as 

 are the upper tail-coverts. The tail-feathers are brownish- 

 black, toward the end with a broad irregular band of 

 chestnut-red, succeeded by a narrow band of black, the tip 

 white ; the outer four feathers on each side nearly all white. 

 The smaller wing-coverts are black, tipped with pale brown ; 

 the larger black, tipped with white ; the quills greyish -black, 

 with the shafts white ; the secondaries largely tipped with 

 white ; the inner secondaries banded like the back. The 

 middle of the breast and the abdomen brownish-white, barred 

 with brown ; the sides undulated and barred with dusky and 

 pale brown; the axillaries white, with blackish-grey bars. 



Length to end of tail 12 inches; extent of wings 18; 



