M. GRISEUS SCOLOPACEUS : GREATER LONG-BEAK. 205 



derstanding, as Mr. Brewster informed him he found 

 it and grisais together (Bull. Nutt. Club, i, 1876, j ^y 

 Mr. Allen does not distinguish the supposed species in 

 any way from M. grisais (Bull. Essex Inst., x, 1878, p 

 23). Dr. Brewer afterward made the following note: 

 "A female was shot at Eastham, by Mr. Frank L. 

 Tileston, November 2, 1878. Without presuming to 

 decide whether this is entitled to rank even as a variety, 

 the fact remains that this bird was a very different 

 form from the common M. grisais, and was shot at 

 a period much later than the latter bird has been known 

 to appear" (Bull. Nutt. Club, iv, 1879, P- 64). The 

 same record re-appears in Pr. Bost. Soc, xx, 1879, P- 

 272. 



The bird had ten years previously been given by 

 Coues as one which should occur in New England (Pr. 

 Essex Inst., v, 1868, p. 293). This author in 1874 (B. 

 N. W., p. 477) declined to recognize the species, on the 

 strength of the great variations he found in dimensions 

 among individuals shot from a single flock in Dakota, 

 the differences being supposed to cover both grisais and 

 scolopacais. But if grisais proper be confined to the 

 Atlantic coast, all his specimens were of course M. 

 scolopaceus\ and being in fall plumage did not exhibit 

 the color-characters which may distinguish the two 

 forms. His measurements therefore simply show the 

 great range of variation of M. scolopacais in size and 

 proportions. 



