386 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



Genus RHYNCH^EA, Cm. 



730. RHYNCILEA CAPENSIS. 



THE PAINTED SNIPE. 



Scolopax capensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 24(3. Rallus benghalensis, Linn. Syst. 

 Nat. i. p. 263. Rhynchsea bengalensis, Jerd. B. 2nd. ii. p. 677 ; Hume, 

 Nests and Eggs, p. 586 ; Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 335 ; Bl B. Burnt, p. 157 ; Butter, 

 S. F. iv. p. 15, v. p. 223; David et Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 480: Wardlaw Ramsay, 

 Ibis, 1877, p. 469 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped. p. 683; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi. 

 p. 459; Cripps, S. F. vii. p. 302; Hume, S. jP.viii. p. 112; Legge, Birds Ceylon, 

 p. 800 ; Bingham, S. F. ix. p. 197 ; Hume # Marsh. Game Birds, iii. p. 381, pi. ; 

 Oates, S. F. x. p. 239. 



Description. Male. A broad band along the centre of the head, the 

 feathers round and behind the eye buff; crown blackish, the feathers 

 narrowly margined with buffy white ; back of the neck ashy brown, indi- 

 stinctly barred with blackish ; back, scapulars and tertiaries olivaceous, 

 banded with black and glossed with green, the outer webs of the scapulars 

 broadly edged with buff, forming two stripes whicli are continued over the 

 shoulders to the sides of the neck ; rump bluish ashy barred with blackish ; 

 upper tail-coverts the same, but with large buff spots on both webs ; tail 

 bluish ashy, narrowly barred with black and broadly with buff; upper 

 wing-coverts pale buff, shaded with brown and barred with black ; quills 

 bluish ashy with large oval buff spots, the primaries with black patches on 

 the outer webs, the secondaries black towards their bases ; chin whitish ; 

 throat, breast and sides of the neck brown mottled with white, the lower 

 part of the breast with several indistinct blackish bars ; remainder of the 

 lower plumage white. 



The female has a ring round the eye and a streak behind it white ; sides 

 of the face, throat and the whole neck ferruginous ; the wing-coverts 

 olive, regularly but very narrowly banded with black ; the upper scapulars 

 pointed and pure white ; the breast blackish, bounded below by a broad 

 white band extending up the sides of the shoulders ; the other parts much 

 as in the male. 



Iris olive-brown ; bill and legs olive-brown ; claws horn-colour. 



Length 10 inches, tail 1-7, wing5'3, tarsus 1'8, bill from gape 2. The 

 female is rather larger. 



lower tail-coverts rufescent with dusky marks, and the under wing-coverts barred black 

 and whitish. 



" Bill reddish brown, paler at the base beneath ; irides dusky brown ; legs plumbeous 

 green. Length 12 to 13 inches, extent 18, wing of, tail 2, bill at front 2f, tarsus If, 

 middle toe 1 ." 



