68 CHARADRIID.E. 



Philohela minor, Baird, Brewer fy Ridgiv. Water Birch N. Am. i. p. 183 

 (1884) ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. M. xxiv. p. 679 (1896) ; id. Hand-l. 

 i. p. 167 (1899). 



The eggs of the American Woodcock in the Collection resemble 

 those of the European Woodcock, but they are shorter in relation 

 to their breadth and some specimens are spheroidal in shape. The 

 markings on some examples are very faint, the ground being mottled 

 and marbled with very pale yellowish brown and grey. In others 

 they are bold and well-defined. Six eggs measure from 1/4 to 1*57 

 in length, and from 1-13 to 1-22 in breadth. 



1. North America (Smiths. Inst.). Salvin-Godman Coll. 



2. North America. Seebohm Coll. 



3. Princeton, New Jersey, 10th April Princeton Muse urn, N.J. [E.]. 



( W. E. D. Scott). 



Genus ROSTRATULA, F. 



Rostratula capensis (Linn.). 



Scolopax capensis, Thien. Fortpflanz. ges. Vo'g. tab. Ix. fig. 4 (1845-54). 

 Rhynchaea bengalensis, Blyth in Jard. Contr. Orn. 1852, p. 52, pi. 89. 



figs. 2, 3 ; Barnes, Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc. vi. p. 130, pi. . 



fig. 873 (1891). 

 Rhynchaea capensis, Hume 4* Marsh. Game Birds Ind. iii. p. 381 ; App. 



pi. ii (1880) : Legge, Birds Ceylon, p. 800 (1880) ; Cowan, Proc. R. 



Phys. Soc. Edinb. vii. p. 149 (1882) ; Milne- Edwards # Grandidier, 



Hist. Nat. Madag., Ois. ii. p. 638, pi. 306. figs. 9, 9 a (1885) ; Seebohm, 



Geogr. Distr. Charadriidce, p. 456 (1887) ; Gates ed. Hume, Nests fy 



Eygs Ind. B. iii. p. 350 (1890). 

 Rostratula capensis, Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. M. xxiv. p. 683 (1896) ; id. 



Hand-l. i. p. 167 (1899) ; Oates, Game Birds Ind. ii. p. 488 (1899). 



The eggs of the Painted Snipe are usually of a pointed oval form. 

 A few are elliptical and others approach the pyriform. They are 

 fairly glossy and of a .pale yellowish-buff colour, boldly blotched 

 and streaked with intensely deep brown or black and some very 

 inconspicuous underlying pale purple. The markings generally run 

 into each other and cover about half the surface of the shell. On 

 some specimens, however, the markings are smaller and are mingled 

 with spots and lines. Numerous specimens measure from 1-29 to 

 1/5 in length, and from -89 to 1*05 in breadth. 



3. Lanm, E. Africa. F. J. Jackson, Esq., C.B. 



2. Lamu. F. J. Jackson, Esq., C.B. 



4. Lamu. F. J. Jackson, Esq., C.B. 

 4. Fianarantsoa, Madagascar ( W. Seebohm Coll. 



Deans Cowan). 



3. India. Seebohm Coll. 



4. India. Hume Coll. 

 23. Eastern Narra, Sind (S. Doig}. Hume Coll. 



2. Eastern Narra, 8th April (S. D.). Hume Coll. 



2. Eastern Narra, 18th May (S. D.). Hume Coll. 



