DIRECTORY TO BIRDS OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 67 



in a, reaching beyond middle of tail, the first primary is long- 

 est and all are broad ; tibia, not f eatherd to the tarsal joint. 

 Eggs, placed in marshes. Not as solitary in habit as in a, 

 numbers often associate together, especially in winter. 



1. WILSON'S SNIPE, G. DELICATA. 11.00; dusky-brown 

 above streaked, mottled, and banded with reddish-buff, ru- 

 fous and grayish-white ; median line of buff on head ; tail, 

 black with a sub-terminal band of pale chestnut ; white be- 

 neath and on side of head, grayish on lower neck and chest 

 mottled with dusky ; dusky line in front of eye ; under wing 

 coverts, axillaries, and sides, distinctly marked with black 

 bands that are as wide, or wider, than the white interspaces. 

 It is almost impossible to see Fig. 86. 



this bird on the ground as it lies , 

 very close ; when startled, it ris- 

 es quickly and flies swiftly in a 

 zigzag course, uttering its singu-* 

 lar bleating "Scape' 1 ' 1 as it goes ; > 

 after flying some twenty yards 

 its course becomes more direct, 

 but it still winds and circles, and s 

 after rising to a considerableN 

 height, and going some distanced 

 away, it is quite apt to return and Gr, C, C, 1. 1-6. 



alight near where it started. Upon its breeding grounds, 

 and occasionally when migrating, it produces the sound called 

 winnowing. The bird rises high in air and when it reaches 

 a certain altitude darts rapidly in a zigzag, flight much 

 like a Nighthawk, at the same time giving the sound which 

 has received the appropriate name of winnowing; whether 

 this is made by the wings or is vocal is difficult to decide. 

 Breeds from northern U. S. northward, occasionally further 

 south ; winters regularly from the Carolinas southward to 

 northern S. A., and irregularly as far north as Mass. ; comes 

 north in April and May ; goes south in Sep. and Oct. 



