452 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 



connected by a basal membrane; the tail always with distinct transverse bars in 

 North-American species, except in Heter-oscelus. 



Tliis sub-family appears to differ from most Scolopactnce in the less degree of sen- 

 sitiveness in the tip of the bill, which is more horny, and not covered by soft skin 

 well supplied with nerves. The toes are almost alwa3's connected at the base by a 

 membrane ; this being the rule and not the exception, as in Scokpacirue. 



SYMPHEMIA, Rafinesque. 



Symphemia, Rafinesque, Jour, de Phys. (1819). (Type Scolopax semipalmata, 

 Gmelin.) 



Bill compressed, very thick, the culmen rounded; the lower mandible scarcely 

 grooved; the upper grooved to about the middle; culmen slightly convex; gonys 

 ascending; bill cleft but little beyond base of culmen; feathers of sides of both 

 mandibles falling short of the nostrils ; the lower rather farther forward; chin feath- 

 ers reacliing to beginning of nostrils; bill longer than head, about equal to tarsus, 

 which is more than one and a half times the middle toe; both toes webbed, the 

 emargination of inner web as far forward as the middle of basal joint of middle toe, 

 the outer reaching nearly to the end; bare portion of tibia rather less than middle 

 toe without claw; tail nearly even, or little rounded, not half the wings. 



SYMPHEMIA SEMIPALMATA. — Eartlmih. 

 The Willet. 



Scolopax semipalmatus, Gmelin. Sj'st. Nat., I. (1788) 659. Wils. Am. Cm., VIL 

 (181.3) 27. 



Totaiius semipnlmatus, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 510; V. 585. Birds 

 Am., v. (1842) 324. 



Totanits {catnptrophortis) semipalmatus, Bonaparte. Sj'n. (1828), 328. Nutt. 

 Man., IL (1834) 144. 



Symphemia semipalmata, Hartlaub. Rev. Zool. (1845), 342. 



Description. 



The largest American species of this genus; bill longer than the head, straight, 

 rather thick and strong; groove in the upper mandible extending about half its 

 length, in the lower mandible nearl}' obsolete; wings long; legs long, strong; toes 

 moderate, united at base by membranes, the larger of which unites the outer and 

 middle toe; hind toe small; tail short. 



Adult. — Entire upper parts dark-ash color (without spots); the shafts of the 

 feathers brownish-black; rump and upper tail coverts white; under parts white, 

 tinged with a-shj' on the neck and sides; axillaries and under wing coverts brown- 

 ish-black; primary quills white at base, and tipped with brownish-black; secon- 

 daries white, spotted with brownish-black; tail ashy-white, the two middle feathers 

 etrongly tinged with ashy; others spotted with dark ashy-brown; bill dark bluish- 

 bro^vn, lighter at base; legs light-blue. 



Younger. — Entire plumage spotted, and transversely banded with bro'miish- 

 black ; iris brown. 



Total length, about fifteen inches; wing, eight and a quarter; tail, three and a 

 quarter; bill, about two and a half; tarsus, about two and a half inches. 



