712 



U. S. p. E. B EXP. AND SURVEYS ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



MACRORHAMPHUS GRISEUS, (amelin,) Leach. 



Gray Snipe ; Red-breasted Snipe. 



Scolopax grisea, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 658, No. 27. 



Macrorhamplius griscus, "Leach, Calal. Brit. Mus. 1816, 31." — Stephens, Shaw. Gen. Zool. XII, 1824,61 — 



Bon. Am. Cm. IV, 1333, 51 ; pi. xxiii. 

 Scolopax noveboracensis, Gm. Sjst. Nat. I, 1788, 658, No. 28.— Wilson, Am. Orn. VII, 1813, 45 ; pi. Iviii.— Sw. 

 P. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 398 — Acd. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 288; pi. 339.— Ib. Syn. 249.— 

 Ib. Birds Amer. VI, 1843. 10; pi. 351. 

 Scolopax leucophaea, Vieillot, Diet. Ill, 358, (2d ed.) Not of Latham. 

 Sp. Ch.— Rather smaller than the preceding ; bill long, compressed, flattened and expanded towards the end, and in the 

 same space punctulated and corrugated ; wing rather long ; shaft of first primary strong ; tail short ; legs rather long. Jldxilt. 

 Upper parts variegated with dark ashy, pale reddish and black, the latter predominating on the back ; rump and upper tail 

 coverts, white, the latter spotted and barred transversely with black. Under parts pale ferruginous red, with numerous points 

 and circular spots of brownish black on the neck before, and transverse bands of the same on the sides and under tail coverts ; 

 axillary feathers and under wing coverts white, spotted and transversely barred with black. Quills brownish black ; shaft of 

 first primary white ; tail brownish black, with numerous transverse bands of ashy white, and frequently tinged with ferruginous, 

 especially on the two middle feathers ; bill greenish black ; legs dark greenish brown . Younger. Entire under parls dull white, 

 strongly marked with dull ashy on the neck in front, and transverse bands of the same on the sides ; axillary feathers and under 

 wing coverts wliite, spotted with brownish black ; upper parts lighter than in the adult. Total length about 10 inches ; winj, 

 5J ; tail, 2^ ; bill, 2^ ; tarsus, 1^ inch. 



Hah. — Entire temperate regions of North America. 



Quite a variable species in plumage, scarcely any two being exactly alike, except in very 

 mature plumage, but always readily distinguisbed from the preceding by the white shaft of the 

 first quill in the present bird. This bird is widely distributed, and is very similar to, if not 

 identical with, the succeeding species. 



In the list of specimens I give species of sizes varying between considerable extremes, reserving 

 for M. scolopaceus only three, which are still larger than any of these. 



List of specimens. 



MACRORHAMPHUS SCOLOPACEUS, (Say,) Lawrence. 



Limosa scolopaceus. Sat, Long's Exped. II, 1823, 170. 



Macrorhamphus scolopaceus, (Sat,) Lawr. Ann. N. Y. Lye. N. H. V, 1859, (Read Jan. 1849,) 4, pi. i. 

 Scolopax langiroalris, Cell, Ann. N. Y. Lye. V, 1852, (Read Oct. 9, 1848, and published soon after, but vol. dated 

 1852,) 3. 



FiouREs — Bonaparte, Am. Orn. IV, pi. 23, fig. 3. Annals, Lyceum N. Y. V, pi. 1. 



