112 FRANK forester's FIELD SPORTS. 



Feet orange-red, the webs dusky. The upper part of the head 

 is glossy brownish-black, the feathers margined with light 

 brown ; the sides of the head and a band over the eye are light 

 grayish-brown, with longitudinal dusky streaks ; the middle of 

 the neck is similar, but more dusky. The general color is 

 blackish-brown, a little paler beneath ; all the feathers margined 

 with pale, reddish-brown. The wing coverts are grayish dusky, 

 with a slight tinge of green ; the ends of the secondary coverts 

 velvet-black. Primaries and their coverts blackish-brown, with 

 the shafts brown ; secondaries darker ; the speculum is green, 

 blue, violet, or amethyst-purple, according to the light in which 

 it is viewed, bounded by velvet-black ; the feathers also tipped 

 with a narrow line of white. The whole under surface of the 

 v.'ing and the axillaries, white. 



" Length to the end of tail, 24^ inches ; to the end of claws, 

 26 ; extent of wings, 38| ; bill, 2t2 along the back ; wing from 

 flexure, IH ; tail, 4t 2 ; tarsus, IM ; middle toe, 2x2 ; first toe, 

 1% ; its claw, 1^ ; weight, 31bs. 



" Adult female. 



" The female, which is somewhat smaller, resembles the male 

 in color, but is more brown, and has the speculum of the same 

 tints, but without the white terminal line. 



" Length to the end of tail, 22 inches ; to the end of wings, 

 21r ; to the end of claws, 22 ; wing from flexure, 10| ; extent 

 of Ayings, 341 ; tarsus, 2 ; middle toe and claw, 2h ; hind toe and 

 claw, 72. 



" This species extends its migrations from the Straits of Belle- 

 isle, on the coast of Labrador, to Texas. Strange as it may 

 seem, it breeds in both of these countries, and in many of the 

 intermediate places. On the 10th of May, 1833, I found it 

 breeding along the marshy edges of the inland pools, near the 

 Bay of Fundy ; and on Whitehead Island, in the same bay, saw 

 several young birds of the same species, which, although appa- 

 rently not a week old, were extremel}"- active, both on land and 

 water. On the 30th of April, 1837, my son discovered a nest 

 on Galveston Island, in Texas. It was formed of grass and 



