SfOLOI'ACID.E— THK SNII'E FAMILY. 57 



Limosa fedoa (Linn.) 



UABBL£D GODWIT. 



Popular synonjrms. Marlin; Straight-billed Curlew. 



Scolopar fedoa Linn. S. N. i, ed. 10. i. 1758, 14ti; ed. 12. 1766, 244.— WiLS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 

 SO, pi. 56, f. 4. 

 Limosa fedoa Obd, ed. Wilson, vil, 1821,30.-Sw. & Rich. F. B.-A. ii, 1831,335.— NnTT.ii,18,S4' 

 17:).— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii. 1835. 287; v, 590, pi. 238; Synop. 1839, 246; B. Am. v. 1842. 331. 

 pi. 3)8.- Cass, in Baird's B. N. Am. 18.">8. 710.— Baird, Cat N. Am. B. IMO, No. 547.— 

 Cooes, Key, 1872,^7; Check List, 1874, No. 528; Birds N. W. 1874. 492.- B. B. &R. 

 Water B. N. Am. i,1884, 255.-A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 219.— Bmaw. Man. N. Am. 

 B. 1887. 163. 

 Limosa fceda RiDOW. Nom N. Am. B. 1S81. No. j>43.— CouES.Chcok List. 2d ed. 1882. No. 628. 

 Hab. North America; breeding in the interior of the continent (Missouri region and 

 northward), wintering southward to Yucatan and Guatemala; Cuba. 



Sp. Chab. Bill long, curved upwards: both mandibles grooved; wings long; tail short; 

 legs long: tibia with its lower half naked: toes rather short, margined and fl.attened under- 

 neath: the outer and middle toes united by a large membrane. Entire upper parts varie- 

 gated with brownish black and pale reddish, the former disposed in irregular and confluent 

 bands, and the latter in spots and imperfect bands: in many specimens the blat-k color pre- 

 dominating on the back, and the pale reddish on the rump and upper tail-coverts. Under 

 parts pale cinnamon, with transverse lines of brownish black on the breast and sides; under 

 wlng-oovertB and axillarles darker cinnamon: outer webs of primaries dark brown, inner 

 webs light cinnamon: secondaries light cinnamon ; tail light blackish brown; iris brown: 

 feet bluish gray. (Audobon.) 



Total length about 18.00 inches; wing. 9.00: tail, 4.00-5.OO; tarsus, 3.00 inches. * 



The plumage of this bird is in some .stages wonderfully similar 

 to that of Nxiiu-niAiii loMjiroHfnx; in fdct the resemblance is so 

 gi'eat that were it not for the conspicuous generic difference it 

 would be rather difficult to distinguish them specifically. Both 

 liave precisely the same tints of color, and also a nearly identi- 

 cal distribution of the mnrkings. The main differences aj^pear 

 to be the following: lu \ii„(<inn.-< tlic black bars of the upper 

 parts are connected by broad stripes along the middle of the 

 feathers, while in Limoxit. these bars are all isolated and nar- 

 rower, as wffll as of a less deep black. The longitudinal streaks 

 on the hfsad and neck are much less conspicuous in Liinoxn; in 

 the latter there is also oftener a tendency to transverse bars on 

 the (;rissum, and less often to streaks on the foreneck. 



This fine bird is a rather common migrant in Illinois, known 

 to sportsmen bj' the names of Marlin, CJodwit, and Straight- 

 i)ill<!d Curlew. We have nothing special to offer concerning its 

 habits. 



* A seriOB of ten specimens, including an equal number of males and fomnloc, shot by 

 Mr. Franklin Bennor, in Minnesota, between June 5th and loth, was carefully mconurod, 

 with the following results: Males. Total length, 1«.5<>-I7.ia, a-oraw, 17.00; extent, 30.SO- 

 31.."A average, 31.10; bill, 3.fi<'.-l.<Ki, average. 3.81. Females. Total length. Is.l2-r.t.fi2. aver- 

 aeo. 19.10; extent, 32.0O-3:t.87, average, 32.82; bill. 4.51-5.06. average. 1.77. (See "flull. Xutt. 

 Orn. Club" v, Jan. 1880. p. 18.) 

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