KEY TO THE WATER BIRDS OF FLORIDA. 



275 



The eggs are pale buff color spotted with chocolate brown, more nu- 

 merously at the larger ends ; bill brown (greenish gray in life), paler at base 

 and darker toward the end. 



Genus MACRORHAMPHUS Leach. 



MACRORHAMPHUS QRISEU5 {Gmel.). 

 Dowitcher. Red^breasted Snipe. 



Adult in sjiininer : A small web between the inner 

 toes ; upper parts blackish ; feathers edged with tawny 

 brown; top of head blackish mottled with tawny 

 brown ; under parts red brown, banded on the sides ; 

 throat and breast only slightly spotted, entirely with- 

 out spots in some plumages ; tail and tail coverts 

 barred with black. Bill dark olive. 



In winter : Upper parts grayish, feathers showing 

 faint edges of buff on the back ; chin and superciliary 

 stripe dull grayish white ; breast gray, showing slight 

 traces of tawny ; rest of under parts dirty white, mot- 

 tled on the crissum ; tail banded black and white. 



Length, 10.30; Wing, 5.70; Tarsus, 1.30; Bill, 2.20 

 to 2.50. 



Ranges from the Arctic Circle to South America ; common during the 



migrations, being common in winter in Florida. It breeds in the far north, 



eggs being pale buff or dull olive mottled and speckled with dark brown. 



' » .•*'■' 



MACRORHAMPHUS SCOLOPACEUS {Say.). 

 Long-billed Dowitcher. Western Red=breasted Snipe. 



Resembles the preceding species, but the bill is longer and the sides of the body are more 

 distinctly barred with black ; the principal difference is one of size. 

 Length, 11 ; Wing, 6.05 ; Tarsus, 1.55 ; Bill, 2.20 to 2.60. 



This is a western species, w^hich occasionally occurs on the Atlantic 



coast. It is a common bird in Florida in winter. The eggs are similar in 



coloration to those of the preceding species. 



