SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 89 



in the muddy bottoms, under grass, flags, and tules, fishing up his 

 food from the soft mud, the sensitive tip of his long bill enabling 

 him to select the choicest worms and other dainty morsels. 



He is a common bird wherever there are marshes to his taste, and 

 most country folk are familiar with his song. On warm summer 

 evenings or cloudy days before a storm he mounts high in air and 

 with rapidly vibrating wings produces a prolonged whirr that in- 

 creases to a diminutive roar, and repeats it every minute or two for 

 sometimes half an hour. At other times he flies low over the grass, 

 uttering a guttural chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck, and then drops 

 out of sight. His common, all-the -year-round note is a nasal squank, 

 uttered as he springs from the ground at your feet and makes off in 

 quick zigzags. 



The only excuse for considering so small a bird game is his swift 

 irregular flight, which saves him from all but the expert wing shot. 



VERNON BAILEY. 



GENUS MACRORHAMPHUS. 



General Characters. Bill similar to that of Gallinago ; lower part of 

 back white, rump spotted black and white ; tail finely cross-barred with 

 black, buff, and white. 



KEY TO SUMMER ADULTS. 



1. Belly rich cinnamon brown SCOlopaceus, p. 89. 



1 '.Belly white or buff y griseus, p. 89. 



231. Macrorhamphus griseus (Gmel.) DOWITCHEB. 



Similar to scolopaceus but smaller and adults in summer distinguished 

 by whitish belly and dusky specking of sides and breast. Length: 1011, 

 wing 5.25-5.90, bill 2.00-2.55, tarsus 1.20-1.50. Female decidedly larger 

 than male. 



Distribution. Eastern North America, breeding far north; south in 

 winter to Brazil ; west as stragglers (?) to Idaho and Oregon. 



232. Macrorhamphus scolopaceus (Say). LONG-BILLED Dow- 



ITCHER. 



Adults in summer, A light stripe over eye and dusky stripe from eye 

 to bill ; upper parts, except rump and 

 lower back, specked and mottled with 

 Llack, brown, and buff ; rump white, 

 spotted with black, tail feathers barred 

 black and white ; entire under parts Fig- 103 ' 



bright cinnamon specked on throat and barred on sides and lower tail cov- 

 erts with dusky. Adults in winter : belly and line over eye white ; rest 

 of plumage gray. Young : similar to adults but back and crown mottled 

 with black and ochraceous ; belly and chest suffused with light cinnamon. 

 Length : 11.00-12.50, wing 5.40-6.00, bill 2.10-3.00, tarsus 1.35-1.75. 



Distribution. Western North America, breeding in British Columbia 

 and Alaska ; migrating south through western United States and Missis- 

 sippi valley to northern South America ; less common in eastern United 

 States. 



