THE WINTER YELLOW-LEGS 185 



the ground in the drier parts of the marsh and 

 lined with dead grass and moss, and the male 

 bird, though he is said to take no part in the 

 incubation, stays near at hand and aids in the 

 care of the young. About the middle of Au- 

 gust they begin to leave their breeding places 

 and scatter over the surrounding country, lin- 

 gering in New England into November. 



The coloring and habits of the two species are 

 nearly identical. The principal difference is 

 that of size, the '^Winter" averaging from 

 twelve to fourteen inches long, with an extent 

 of about twenty-four inches. The '' Summer" 

 is ten or eleven inches in length, with a wing- 

 spread averaging twenty-two inches. The bill 

 of the larger species is somewhat up-curved, as 

 if slightly bent in the middle, while that of the 

 ''Summer" is proportionately shorter and 

 straight. The legs of the ''Summer" are a lit- 

 tle longer in comparison with the size of the 

 bird. The weight of the larger species will run 

 from eight to nine and one-half or even ten 

 ounces; the smaller species seldom weighs over 

 seven ounces, and usually less. 



The description of one bird's markings will 

 answer almost equally well for the other, and 



