72 SCOLOPACID.E. 



in Italy, it is sometimes seen in May, but not every year. 

 Mr. Gould says it visits North Africa ; and Mr. Strickland 

 saw it at Smyrna in winter. It has been found in North 

 Western India. Mr. Gould mentions that specimens have 

 been received here from a high range on the Himalaya ; 

 B. Hodgson, Esq. has obtained it in Nepal; Mr. Blyth 

 finds it about Calcutta, and Colonel Sykes includes it in 

 his catalogue of the Birds of the Dukhun ; M. Temminck 

 says that examples from Timor and the islands of the 

 Indian Archipelago, are identical with those of Europe. 



An adult bird, killed at a pond side in Essex, in the 

 month of May, and lent me by Mr. Henry Doubleday, has 

 the beak dull black ; the irides dark brown ; feathers of 

 the head and neck pale brown, speckled with dark brown ; 

 feathers of the scapulars and back, some ash brown, others 

 black with rufous margins ; wing-coverts nearly uniform 

 ash brown ; primaries dusky brown, the shaft of the first 

 quill-feather whiter than those of the others ; secondaries 

 dusky, but tipped with white ; tertials uniform dusky 

 brown ; tail-coverts dusky brown, those nearest the tail- 

 feathers almost black ; tail cuneiform, or somewhat gra- 

 duated, the central pair of feathers the longest, the darkest 

 in colour, and pointed ; the next feather on each outside 

 ash brown, the next ash grey, the three outside feathers on 

 each side white, tinged with light ash grey on the narrow 

 outer webs only, the outside feather on each side being the 

 shortest ; the chin white ; sides of the neck grey ; the 

 neck in front pale brown, spotted with dusky brown, and 

 tinged with buff; breast, belly, and under tail-coverts 

 white ; under surface of the wings ash grey, the shafts of 

 all the primaries white ; axillary plume pure white ; legs 

 and toes greenish brown. 



The whole length of the largest specimen I ever saw five 

 inches and three-quarters ; length of the beak nine-six- 



