SCOLOPACIN^:. SCOLOPAX. 101 



Male, 10i, 18, 5&, 2^, 1 T \, 1, ~V Female, 10|, 19. 



This species is extremely abundant on the coasts of the 

 United States of America during its progress to and from the 

 northern districts, in which it breeds, and, being highly es- 

 teemed for the table, is shot in vast numbers. Montagu first 

 recorded its occurrence in England, having obtained a male, 

 which was shot on the coast of Devonshire. Another indi- 

 vidual has since been killed at Yarmouth. 



Brown Snipe. Grey Snipe. Red-breasted Snipe. 



Scolopax grisea and Novseboracensis, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. 

 658. Scolopax grisea and Novseboracensis, Lath. Ind.Ornith. 

 i. 658, 724. Scolopax grisea, Lath. Man. d'Ornith, ii. 679. 

 Scolopax grisea, Grey Snipe, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, iv. 



GENUS CVII. SCOLOPAX. SNIPE. 



The species of this genus, varying in size from that of 

 the Dunlin to that of the Woodcock, and generally so simi- 

 lar in colour as to be with difficulty distinguishable, have 

 the body ovate and compact ; the neck of moderate length ; 

 the head small, oblong, and rounded above. Bill about 

 twice the length of the head, flexible, straight, slender, 

 compressed, with both mandibles grooved, and in their 

 terminal third scrobiculate, and more or less enlarged, with 

 the tips hard and narrowed, but blunt, that of the lower 

 shorter. Mouth very narrow ; its roof with two or three 

 longitudinal series of pointed, reversed papillae ; tongue very 

 long, slender, channelled above, tapering to a point ; oeso- 

 phagus rather narrow ; stomach an oblong or roundish mus- 

 cular gizzard ; intestine of moderate length and width ; 

 coeca moderate, cylindrical, narrowed at the commencement. 

 Nostrils small, linear, lateral, basal. Eyes small ; eyelids 

 feathered. Aperture of ear rather large. Legs rather 

 short, slender ; tibia bare for nearly a fourth ; tarsus com- 

 pressed, scutellate before and behind ; first toe very small, 

 slender, and elevated ; anterior toes rather long, slender, 

 scutellate, free ; claws small, slightly arched, slender, com- 

 pressed, acute. Plumage rather firm ; wings long, narrow, 

 pointed ; the first primary longest, the rest rapidly decreas- 

 ing ; inner secondaries very long ; tail short, of from twelve 

 to twenty-four feathers. 



The Snipes inhabit marshy places, in which they search 



