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U. S. P K, E. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



Erolia, V 1 e i 1 1 o t . • 

 TKINGA SUBAKQUATA, (Guld.) Temm. 



Curlew Sandpiper. 



Scolopax svbarquata, Gcldenstakdt, Nov. Comm. Pctrop. XIX, 1775, 471 ; pi. .tviii. Caspian sea. — Gm. Syst. Nat. 



I, 1788, 658. 

 Triiiga subarqwata,TEMM. Man. II, 1820, 609.— Nutt. Man. II, 104.— AuD. Cm. Eiog. Ill, 1835,444; pi. 263. 



Ib. Syn. 234.— Ib. Birds Amer. V, 1842, 269 ; pi. 333. 

 " ^ncylocheilus subarquata," Kadp, Europ. Thiervv. 1829. 

 Pelidna subarquata, Bov. List. 1838. 

 Erolia rariegala, Vieillot, Anal. 1816, 69. 



FiGCREs. -Buff. PI. Enl. 851.- -Temm, PI. Col. 510.— Aud. B. of Am. pi. 263 ; oct. ed. V, pi. 333.— Gould, B. of Eur. IV, pi 

 328.— Naumann, B. of Germ. pi. 185. 



Sp. Ch. — Bill rather longer than the head, slender, compressed, slightly curved towards the tip, which is somewhat expanded ; 

 both mandibles gronved ; wnig long, pointed ; tail short ; legs long, slender ; toes moderate, marginated and flattened under- 

 neath. Upper parts brownish black, nearly every feather edged and spotted with bright yellowish red, rump ashy brown, upper 

 coverts of the tail white, with transverse bands of brownish black ; wings ashy brown, shafts of primaries white. Under parts 

 fine dark yellowish rufous ; sides, axillaries and under tail coverts, white ; under surface of wing white ; tail pale brownish 

 ashy, with a greenish gloss ; bill and legs greenish brown. 



Yomig. — Upper parts much more ashy, and with little of the red of the preceding ; under parts entirely dull white, tinged 

 with yellowish on the breast and sides. An obscure line over the eye, ashy white ; outer feathers of the tail, nearly white. 



Total length, about 8| to 9 inches ; wing, 5 ; tail, SJ ; bill from gape, 1| to Ij ; tarsus, 1 to 1 j inches. 



Hab. — Atlantic coast of the United States, rare ; Europe ; Asia ; Africa. 



The Curlew sandpiper is one of the rarest of the sandpipers known to inhabit the United States, 

 and may he looked upon, very properly, as a straggler only, from the Old World. It is very 

 extensively diifused throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, from each of which continents we 

 find specimens in the collection of the Philadelphia Academy, apparently quite identical in 

 specific characters. 



This bird is occasionally shot on the shores of the Atlantic, and very probably also occurs on 

 the Pacific, though no specimens are contained in the collections of the surveying parties. 

 Our friend, Mr. John G. Bell of New York, informs us o. several instances of the capture of 

 this bird on the coast near New York, and it is accordingly included by Mr. Giraud in his 

 interesting and valuable work, "The Birds of Long Island." 



In several American specimens now before us, including that figured by Mr. Audubon, which 

 is now in Professor Baird's collection, we find no peculiar characters. All the specimens that 

 we have examined appear to be identical, from whatever country. 



List of specimens. 



Erolia, Vieillot, Analyse, 1816. Typo Scolopax subarquata, Gulo. 



