BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 205 



though narrow lateral groove; nostril subbasal, small, longitudinally 

 elliptical; feathering at base of bill forming a re-entrant angle at 

 base of culmen, the malar antia slightly but distinctly anterior to 

 loral antia (nearly in line with middle of nostril), the mental antia 

 about on line with anterior end of nostril. Wing long and pointed, 

 the longest primary (outermost) exceeding distal secondaries by 

 more than half the length of wing and extending far beyond tips of 

 longest tertials. Tail about two-iifths as long as wing, truncate or 

 slightly doubly emarginate, the middle pair of rectrices contracted 

 but not acuminate terminally and projecting beyond the rest; rec- 

 trices 12. Tarsus slender, as long as exposed culmen or longer, 

 continuously scutellate anteriorly and posteriorly; bare portion of 

 tibia more than half as long as tarsus, also scutellate before and 

 behind; middle toe, without claw, more than half as long as tarsus, 

 the outer toe decidedly shorter, the imier toe still shorter; anterior 

 toes all connected basally by webs, tliat between outer and middle 

 toes considerably larger than that between inner and middle toes. 



Coloration. — In summer adults, upper parts varied with black, 

 pale gray, and light buff, the first prevaihng on back and scapulars; 

 wing-coverts grayish, margined with paler; upper tail-coverts white, 

 marked with dusk}' streaks and bars; top of head dusky, streaked 

 with whitish; ear-coverts and patch on each side of occiput, hght 

 rusty; streak of dusky from eye to corner of mouth; rest of head, 

 with neck, dull white, streaked with dusky, the lower parts whitish 

 barred with dusky. In winter, upper parts uniform gray, except 

 tail-coverts, wings, and tail, which are as in summer; supercihary 

 stripe and lower parts white, the chest, sides of neck, and lower tail- 

 coverts streaked with grayish. Young with back and scapidars 

 dusky, all the feathers margined with pale buff or buffy whitish; 

 wing-coverts margined with pale buff and white; upper tail-coverts 

 nearly immaculate white; lower parts soiled white, the chest and 

 sides more or less strongly washed with buff, and indistinctly streaked 

 with grayish. 



Range. — North America, breeding far northward; migrating to 

 Middle and South America. (Monotypic.) 



MICROPALAMA HIMANTOPUS (Bonaparte). 



STILT SANDPIPER. 



Adults in summer. — Pileum and hindneck streaked with dusky 

 and grayish white, the former predominating on crown; back and 

 scapulars varigated with black and pale gray, usually intermixed 

 with buffy J the first prevaihng; wing-coverts deep brownish gray 

 margined with much paler gray, the secondaries darker, narrowly 

 edged with white, the proximal ones more broadly margined ter- 

 minally with white; primaries and primary coverts dusky; rump 



