k SCOLOl'ACIU.i:— THE SxNlI'E FAMILY. 71 



Baibd. Cat. N. Am. B. 185n, No. 549.— Coues. Key. 1872, 2(12; Check List. 1873, No. 4tl; 

 2d ed. 1882, No. tM3: Birds ,N. W. 1874, 508.— Eidgw. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 558; 

 Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 170.— B. B. & K. Water B. N. Am. i, 18*1, 311.— A. O. U. Check List, 

 1886, No. 2«. 



Xumeniiis uccidentalis WooDH. Proo. Acad. Nat. Sei. Phlla. vi, 1852, 194; Sitgreaves'Rep. 

 1853. 98, pi. 6 (= young; Albuquerque. N. M.). 



HiB. Temperate North America, migi-ating south to Guatemala. Cuba; Jamaica: 

 Brazil (?). 



8p. Cbab. The largest Amorioan species of this genus. Bill very long, much curved ; 

 upper mandible longer than the under, .somewhat knobbed at the tip: wing rather long; 

 legs moderate: toes united at base. Entire upper parts pale rutous. tinged with ashy: 

 every feather with transverse and confluent bands of brownish black, most numerous and 

 predominating on the back and scapulars: secondary quills, under wing-coverts, and 

 axillars. cinnamon-rufous: primaries with their outer webs brownish black and their inner 

 webs rufous, with transver.se bauds of blat-k. Under parts pale rufous, with longitudinal 

 lines of black on the neck and sides; tail rufou.s, tinged with ashy, transversely barred 

 with brownish black. Bill brownish black; base of unilor mandible reddish yellow: legs 

 bluish brown. Specimens vary to some CKtentin the shade of the rufous color of the plum- 

 age, and very much in the length of the bill. The rufous color is probably more distinct in 

 the young. Total length, about 25.00 inches; extent, about 40.00; wing, 10.00-11.00; tail, 1.00; 

 bill, 2.30 (immature individual) to 8.50; tarsus, 2.25. Bill black, becoming dull light lilac- 

 brown on basal half of the mandible; iris brown: lo„'S and feet gray. 



Downy youmj. Very pale ochraceous with a tinge of sulphm- yellow, ratherdecpor bo- 

 low than above. Upper parts maibled coarsely and rather irregularly with black. Bill 

 straight, about 1.40 inches long. 



This bird appears to var3' in size (juite materially, and in the 

 length of bill in different specimens so much so as to be quite 

 p(!rploxinp;; in fact, the bills of scarcely any two specimens are 

 of tho same length. In color, also, there is considerable 

 variet}'', but the species can readily be distinguished. 



There are in the National Museum collection specimens which 

 are undoubtedly ^Y. ocddv/itnlis, Woodhouse, as above cited. 

 The clear rufous of the plumage and the shorter bill, as given 

 by Dr. Woodhouse, are present in these specimens; but tho rufous 

 color is very probably characteristic of young age, while in the col- 

 lection almost any length of bill can be produced, the extremes 

 being about 2.30 and 8.50. 



The Long-billed Curlew or "Sickle-bill"' is more or less com- 

 mon, according to the locality, during the migrations. Mr. 

 Nelson refers to it in his list (p. 130) as follows: 



"Formerly very abundant during the migrations and a com- 

 mon summer resident. Now rather uncommon in the migra- 

 tions and a very rare summer resident. A pair nested on tho 

 Calumet Marshes the spring of 1873. More numerous on the 

 largo marshes in central Illinois. Arrives the last of April and 

 departs in October." 



