106 SCOLOPACIN^E. RUSTICOLA. 



the northern parts, where it breeds, depositing in a sligh 

 hollow its four eggs, which are an inch and three-fourths in 

 length, an inch and a third in breadth, yellowish-white, 

 clouded and spotted with grey and reddish-brown. The fe- 

 male is considerably larger than the male, and both sexes 

 vary a good deal in their tints. The species is extensively 

 distributed, but does not occur in North America, the " wood- 

 cock " of which is smaller, and belongs to a different genus. 



Scolopax Rusticola, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 243. Scolopax 

 Rusticola, Lath. Ind. Ornith. ii. 713. Scolopax Rusticola, 

 Temm. Man. d' Ornith. ii. 673. Rusticola sylvestris, Wood- 

 cock, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, iv. 



Among the birds usually named Waders, Grallae, or Gral- 

 latores, we have seen that there are some which generally 

 inhabit sandy deserts, and therefore have little opportunity 

 of wading, even if they had the inclination ; but of these, 

 the Ostriches, none occur in Britain, or even in Europe. 

 Others, the Bustards and other allied species, frequent dry 

 pastures and ploughed fields, and are by no means remark- 

 able for wading, any more than many of the Plover tribe, 

 most of which, however, have no hesitation in running out 

 into shallow water. Then followed the Tringinae, Totaninae, 

 and Scolopacinaa, all of which are marsh or shore birds, and 

 obtain their food by probing the mud and wet sands. We 

 now come to a group differing considerably in form and struc- 

 ture from all these, frequenting marshy places, and even 

 swimming habitually, some of them being as truly aquatic 

 in their habits as the Natatores, but all running also on land, 

 and that with great speed. These birds, for which I adopt 

 Mr Blythe's name of Skulkers, Latitrices, are very nearly 

 allied to the Perdicinse and some other Gallinaceous birds. 

 They form an order, of which, however, only a single family 

 exists, it being very inexpedient to separate the slender- 

 billed Rails from the thick- billed Gallinules, especially as 

 the number of species is not very great, and those which 

 occur in Britain few. 



