﻿Observations 
  on 
  the 
  preceding 
  Paper. 
  5 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Leach, 
  in 
  making 
  his 
  catalogue 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  

   and 
  probably 
  acting 
  under 
  the 
  suggestion 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Say, 
  formed 
  

   a 
  new 
  genus, 
  viz 
  : 
  " 
  Macroramphus," 
  for 
  Scolopax 
  grisea, 
  

   which 
  he, 
  with 
  others, 
  supposed 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  Say's 
  bird. 
  His 
  

   characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  agree 
  very 
  closely 
  with 
  those 
  given 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  Say. 
  Bonaparte 
  and 
  Nuttall 
  consider 
  the 
  genus 
  as 
  

   well 
  founded, 
  and 
  have 
  accordingly 
  adopted 
  it 
  in 
  their 
  works, 
  

   which 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  done 
  more 
  recently 
  by 
  Gray 
  in 
  his 
  " 
  List 
  

   of 
  the 
  Grenera 
  of 
  Birds." 
  This 
  bird 
  must 
  now 
  be 
  added, 
  and 
  

   is 
  the 
  most 
  typical 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  which 
  this 
  genus 
  will 
  

   then 
  consist 
  ; 
  consequently, 
  the 
  name 
  should 
  be 
  changed 
  to 
  

   Macroramphus 
  scolopaceus, 
  thereby 
  retaining 
  Mr. 
  Say's 
  specific 
  

   name. 
  

  

  On 
  plate 
  No. 
  1, 
  is 
  represented 
  a 
  figure 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  in 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  plumage, 
  from 
  a 
  specimen 
  in 
  my 
  possession, 
  and 
  from 
  

   which 
  Mr. 
  Bell's 
  description 
  was 
  made 
  ; 
  also, 
  a 
  figure 
  of 
  the 
  

   female 
  in 
  winter 
  plumage, 
  as 
  described 
  by 
  Say. 
  The 
  female 
  

   exceeds 
  the 
  male 
  in 
  size, 
  which 
  is 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  

  

  The 
  specimen 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  drawing 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  was 
  

   taken 
  was 
  obtained 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Bell, 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  

   the 
  Academy 
  of 
  Natural 
  Science 
  of 
  Philadelphia. 
  It 
  exceeds 
  

   in 
  size 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  individuals 
  examined, 
  which 
  was 
  the 
  cause 
  

   of 
  Mr. 
  Bell's 
  attention 
  being 
  first 
  called 
  to 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  average 
  size 
  does 
  not 
  differ 
  much 
  from 
  M. 
  griseus, 
  

   (although 
  the 
  bills 
  and 
  legs 
  are 
  uniformly 
  much 
  longer 
  ;) 
  this 
  

   accounts 
  for 
  its 
  having 
  been 
  heretofore 
  confounded 
  with 
  that 
  

   species. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  found 
  abundantly 
  on 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  

   in 
  winter. 
  The 
  principal 
  migration 
  is, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  up 
  the 
  Mis- 
  

   sissippi 
  Valley, 
  and 
  farther 
  west, 
  Avhere 
  it 
  was 
  first 
  found 
  by 
  

   Say. 
  On 
  our 
  coast 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  rather 
  rare. 
  

  

  