398 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I50 



LIMOSA FEDOA (Linnaeus): Marbled Godwit; Aguja Moteada 



Scolopax Fedoa Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, vol. 1, 1758, p. 146. (Northeastern 

 Manitoba.) 



General appearance of the whimbrel but slightly smaller, with long, 

 slender bill, that curves slightly upward toward the tip. 



Description. — Length, 395 to 470 mm. Crown and hindneck dark 

 brownish gray, edged narrowly with buffy white ; back, tertials, and 

 rump fuscous-black, with feathers edged and tipped with buffy white ; 

 upper tail coverts pale cinnamon-buff, barred narrowly with brownish 

 black; wing coverts, secondaries, and inner primaries cinnamon-buff, 

 the flight feathers tipped, and more or less mottled, with dull black ; 

 outer primaries the same, but with outer webs white ; outer tail 

 feathers cinnamon-buff, barred lightly with grayish brown; central 

 pairs pale cinnamon-buff, barred heavily with black; throat faintly 

 buffy white; rest of under surface buff to pale cinnamon-buff, lined 

 finely on the foreneck, and barred lightly on the upper breast, sides, 

 flanks, and under tail coverts with dusky brown ; under wing coverts 

 cinnamon-buff, nearly immaculate. 



In full winter plumage the under surface is plain buff, except for 

 a few faint dusky bars on the sides and under tail coverts. 



Measurements (from Ridgway, I.e., p. 185). — Males, wing 221- 

 228 (225.4), tail 77.5-95 (82.9), exposed culmen 92-119 (100.3), 

 tarsus 67-76 (69.4) mm. 



Females, wing 212-234 (224.1), tail 79-89 (83.4), exposed culmen 

 88.5-117.5 (104.8), tarsus 67-76.5 (71.4) mm. 



Migrant from the north. Known only from sight records at Panama 

 Vie jo, with one report from Fort Clayton. 



The first published record of the presence of this species in 

 Panama is that of Eisenmann (Auk, 1955, p. 426), who found the 

 marbled godwit at Panama Viejo on August 11 and 19, 1954, and on 

 September 4 and 11, 1955. In the latter year Maj. F. O. Chapelle 

 recorded these birds on several occasions between April 2 and May 

 20. I saw 3 there on December 3, 1955. There is an earlier sight 

 record for Fort Clayton, given to me by T. A. Imhof, who saw one 

 November 24, 1942. Dr. Eisenmann informs me that his later records 

 run from April 4 through May and June, and in August and 

 September. 



They feed on the open flats at low tide, and then, as the sea rises, 

 come to the rocky offshore islets, often in company with the whimbrel. 

 There is no report of a specimen taken. 



