THE GODWITS. 309 



too ; pee-ter-wee-too ; wee-too; ivee-too. This is the complete 

 song, but frequently only fragments are sung, as when the bird 

 is in pursuit of the female." 



Nest. — According to Mr. E. W. Nelson, " it is merely a shal- 

 low depression in the ground formed by the bird's body in the 

 soft moss, and without a trace of lining." 



Eggs. — Four in number. Of these Mr. Nelson gives the 

 following description: — "The ground-colour varies from a 

 greenish-clayey-olive to a light greyish or clay-colour. The 

 spots are large, well-defined, and scattered sparsely, except 

 about the tip of large end, where they are crowded. These 

 spots are dark umber-brown, and present a striking contrast to 

 the ground-colour." Axis, i'8; diam., 1*2. 



THE GODWITS. GENUS LIMOSA. 



Limosa^ Briss. Orn. v. p. 261 (1760). 



Type, L. lapponica (L.). 



The Godwits are distinguished from the Curlews by their 

 straight bill. This is very long, and exceeds the tail in length ; 

 it is also slightly upturned, and is longer in the female than in 

 the male. 



Five species of Godwits are recognised, of which two are 

 British, though neither of them breed within our limits. The 

 Bar-tailed God wit (Z. lapponica) has an eastern representative, 

 L. novte zealandice^ and L. limosa is also an Old World species, 

 while two, Z. hiidsonica and Z. fedoa^ are American. These 

 birds breed in the high north, but migrate so far south in 

 winter that the range of the genus may be said to be almost 

 cosmopolitan. 



I. THE EAR-TAILED GODWIT. LIMOSA LAPPONICA. 



Scolopax lapponica^ Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 246 (1766). 

 Limosa riifa, Briss.; Macgill. Brit. B. iv. p. 260 (1852). 

 Limosa lapponica^ Dresser, B. Eur. viii. p. 203, pi. 573, fig. i 



pi. 574, fig. 2 (1872); B. O. U. List Brit. B. p. 177 



(1883) ; Saunders, ed. Yarrell's Brit. B. iii. p. 494 (1883); 



id. Man. Brit. B. p. 607 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. 



B. part xxii. (1892); Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiv. 



P- 373 (1896). 



