LITTLE WHIMBREL. 149 
Breeding-season—July. (Siberia.) 
Breeds in Eastern Siberia as far south as Kamtschatka (perhaps Com- 
mander Islands) shores of Okhotsk Sea, Baikal, and as far west as Upper Yenisei 
Valley (rare). 
Distribution and forms —Throughout the Arctic Regions of Europe and Asia, 
migrating southward in winter to Australia, India, etc. Two well-marked 
subspecies are recognisable: JL. 1. limosa (Linné) the western race, and J. 1. 
melanuroides (Gould) the eastern form visiting Australia, easily separable by its 
smaller size; culmen average, 86 mm. against 115; wing av. 195 against 220 ; 
tarsus av. 66 against 86; middle toe 32 against 35 mm. 
Genus MESOSCOLOPA X. 
Mesoscolopax Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXIV., pp. 338, 371, (pref. dated July 10th) 
1896. Type (by monotypy): Nwmenius minutus Gould. 
Small Scolopacine Waders with a short arched bill, long wings, legs and feet, 
and long tail. The bill is only slightly curved and is less than a fourth of the wing, 
and also shorter than the metatarsus. The metatarsus is regularly scutellated both 
before and behind ; a feature which separates it at once from the Numenioid Waders, 
and shows its relationship with the Totanoid forms. The middle toe is slightly 
shorter than half the length of the metatarsus. The tail is long and rounded. 
103. Mesoscolopax minutus.—LITTLE WHIMBREL. 
Gould, Vol. VI., pl. 44 (pt. xxxt.), June Ist, 1848. Mathews, Vol. IIL, pt. 2, pl. 146, May 
2nd, 1913. 
Numenius minutus Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1840, p. 176, July 1841: New South 
Wales. 
Numenius minor Muller, Verh. Nat. Gesch. Land- en Volkenk., p. 110, 1841: Amboina. 
Not of Forster, Synopt. Cat. Brit. Birds, p. 58, 1817. 
DistRIBUTION.—Winter visitor to Australia, breeding in the northern hemisphere. 
Adult male —Upper-parts dark brown with white or rufous spots on the margins 
of the feathers ; some of the long upper tail-coverts regularly barred with grey ; 
the small marginal coverts round the bend of the wing very dark brown like the 
bastard-wing and primary-coverts ; median and greater coverts similar to the 
back ; primary-quills dark brown, shaft of first primary white, some of the inner 
quills fringed with white at the tips ; secondaries pale brown slightly tipped with 
white, the long innermost secondaries like the back ; crown of head brown spotted 
with white or buff with a scarcely defined mesial streak ; lores, eyebrow, ear-coverts, 
and sides of face buff minutely streaked with brown ; hind-neck brown with pale 
margins to the feathers ; throat whitish ; lower throat and foreneck buff with 
dark shaft-streaks, becoming coarser on the breast and sides of the body where 
the feathers are barred with brown ; middle of abdomen inclining to white ; the long 
under tail-coverts buffy-white barred with brown like the axillaries and under 
wing-coverts ; bill blackish-brown, base of lower mandible flesh colour ; iris blackish- 
brown, tarsi and feet lead-grey. Total length 333 mm.; culmen 43, wing 182, 
tail 68, tarsus 50. 
Adult female—Similar to the male but slightly larger ; cuimen 48, wing 184, 
tail 75, tarsus 53. 
Immature—Similar with pale rufous tips to upper feathers. 
Nestling in down.—Apparently not described. 
Nest and Eggs—Undescribed. 
Breeds evidently on Upper Yana (near Verkhojansk, about 674° N.) and Middle 
Lena. Not farther south than about 59° N. 
