SCOLOPACID.E— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 69 



Hab. North America in general, especially the interior: breeding chiefly in the interior 

 of British America and the Yukon district; migrating south to Peru and Uruguay. Fre- 

 quent in Europe. No West Indian record, except Cuba. 



Sp. Chak. Bill shorter than the head, straight, compressed, narrow at the poinl : nasal 

 groove long; wings very long, first quill longest, the tertials rather shorter; tail moder- 

 ate or longer than usual in this group: legs rather long, lower third of the tibia naked; toes 

 free at base, flattened underneath, and slightly margined; hind toe small. Upper parts pale 

 and dull ochraceous, with an ashy tinge; every feather with a large central, lanceolate, 

 crescent-shaped, or oblong spot of black, frequently with a glossy green tinge, especially 

 on the back and shorter tertials. Under parts light ochraceous or p le fawn-color, many 

 feathi is tipped with white, and paler on the flanks and abdomen, on the breast with par- 

 tially concealed small spots of black; axillary feathers white. Quills white, their outer webs 

 light brown, inner webs ashy whito marbled with black and narrowly tipped with white; 

 middle tail-feathers brownish black; outer feathers lighter, with transverse waved lines of 

 black on the terminal half, and tipped with white; under primary- coverts beautifully 

 marbled with black. Bill greenish black; legs greenish yellow. Young. Generally simi- 

 lar, but the upper parts with the black and fawn-color less sharply contrasted, and each 

 feather with a conspicuous terminal border of white. Marbling on inner webs of primaries 

 and on under primary-coverts much more minute and delicate than in the adult. "Bill dull 

 olive-green, dusky toward the point: iris hazel; feetdull yellowish green, claws dusky." 

 (Audubon.) 



Total length, about 7. 511-8. 0(» inches; wing, 5.10-5.50; culmen, .75-.80; tarsus. 1.15-1.30; 

 middle toe, .75-. 85. 



This handsome species is, so far as we know, one of the rarer 

 migrants in Illinois. Mr. Nelson mentions a single specimen "in 

 the collection of Mr. R. P. Clarke, obtained upon the Lake 

 shore, at Chicago, September 1th, 1873," and is inclined bo 

 doubt Dr. Hoy's statemenl (Wis. Agr. Rep. 1852) thai ii is 

 "quite common" near Racine, Wis., from September 15th to 

 October 10th. It may be, however, that it is not so rare as 

 Mr. Nelson supposes, but has escaped his observation, since in 

 other portions of the Mississippi Valley it is very abundant. 



Subfamily NUMENINJE. 



Chak. Back of tarsus covered with small hexagonal scales ; i • ■ 1 1 much longer than tar- 

 sus, decided!} decurved or arched. 



Genus NUMENIUS Brisson. 



i ■ i.iss. ( >rn. \ i. 1760, :n i. Type, Scolo 



Chab. Legs covered anteriorly with transverse Boutellas, laterally and behind with 

 -mall hexagonal scales. Bill rorj long, exceeding the tibia, and curved downward for the 

 terminal half; the culmen rounded. Tip of bill expanded laterally and olnb-shaped. 

 i of bill not reaching beyond the middle. T< ong as prima 



Kill variable In length, alVi 



•M at the base, then deoui • upper 



mandible is thickened downward beyond and over the upylng 



