496 SCOLOPACID.E. 



Seebobm only observed it once on tbe Petcbora. On tbe 

 coasts of tbe Baltic, Nortbern Germany, Denmark, and Hol- 

 land, it is a regular migrant, but in tbe latter country and 

 in France, it is less abundant tban tbe preceding species. 

 It visits tbe Spanisb Peninsula, Morocco, and tbe Canaries, 

 and lias been traced down tbe West African coast as far as 

 the Gambia. It is irregularly distributed in winter along 

 tbe shores and islands of tbe Mediterranean, and thence to 

 Northern and North-eastern Africa, the Eed Sea and tbe 

 Somali country. It is also a winter visitor to the Mekran 

 coast and Kurrachee ; and Blyth states (Ibis, 1865, p. 36) 

 that there is an Himalayan example in the Derby Museum of 

 Liverpool, and that Mr. Hodgson obtained it in Nepal ; but 

 it has not as yet been recorded in Southern India or Ceylon. 

 In Siberia Mr. Seebobm obtained a solitary example in about 

 70° 35' N. lat. on the Yenesei ; and Middendorff found 

 breeding on the marshes of tbe Taimyr, in 74° N. lat., a bird 

 with a more barred rump which has been distinguished as 

 var. novce-zealancUte, G. E. Gray, and as L. uropygialis by 

 Gould, who, however, in his 'Birds of Great Britain," stated 

 that he believed it w^as not separable. This form, of question- 

 able distinctness, extends to Kamtscbatka and Bering Island, 

 migrating to Japan, China, the Eastern Archipelago, Australia 

 and New Zealand. 



Details respecting the breeding habits of the Bar-tailed 

 Godw^t are scarce. The late Mr. Wolley obtained its eggs 

 at Salmojervi, in Finland, on 29th May, 1858, but no account 

 of bis discovery has been published bej^ond bis statement to 

 Hewitson (Eggs Brit. Birds, ii. p. 343), that " this species 

 breeds in marshes, chiefly in the neighbourhood of moun- 

 tains, and gets up so warily from its nest that it is difficult 

 to find it." Two eggs from Rowa, near Kittila in Finland, 

 are figured in the above work ; and others have since been 

 obtained by various collectors. The ground-colour is light 

 olive-green blotched and streaked with brown, and they 

 measure 2*1 by 1'45 in., being similar to but rather smaller 

 tban those of the Black- tailed Godwit. 



The food of tbe Bar-tailed Godwit consists of aquatic 



