SEM1PALMATED SNIPE. 117 



land side, such as Crows, Jays, weasels, foxes, minxes and man 

 himself, that these affectionate tribes have most to dread. 



The Willet subsists chiefly on small shell-fish, marine worms, 

 and other aquatic insects, in search of which it regularly resorts 

 to the muddy shores, and flats, at low water; its general ren- 

 dezvous being the marshes. 



This bird has a summer, and also a winter, dress, in its co- 

 lours differing so much in these seasons as scarcely to appear to 

 be the same species. Our figure in the plate exhibits it in its 

 spring and summer plumage, which in a good specimen is as 

 follows: 



Length fifteen inches, extent thirty inches; upper parts dark 

 olive brown, the feathers streaked down the centre and crossed 

 with waving lines of black; wing-coverts light olive ash; the 

 whole upper parts sprinkled with touches of dull yellowish 

 white ; primaries black, white at the root half; secondaries white, 

 bordered with brown; rump dark brown; tail rounded, twelve 

 feathers, pale olive, waved with bars of black; tail-coverts white, 

 barred with olive; bill pale lead colour, becoming black towards 

 the tip; eye very black; chin white; breast beautifully mottled 

 with transverse spots of olive, on a cream ground; belly and 

 vent white, the last barred with olive; legs and feet pale lead 

 colour; toes half- webbed. 



Towards the Fall, when these birds associate in large flocks, 

 they become of a pale dun colour above, the plumage being 

 shafted with dark brown, and the tail white, or nearly so. At 

 this season they are extremely fat, and esteemed excellent eat- 

 ing. Experienced gunners always select the lightest coloured 

 ones from a flock, as being uniformly the fattest. 



The female of this species is generally larger than the male. 

 In the months of October and November they gradually disap- 

 pear. 



