THE GODWITS. 313 



Their food is of the usual kind devoured by wading birds. Ac- 

 cording to Mr. Wolley, the species breeds in marshes chiefly in 

 the neighbourhood of mountains, and the nest is very difficult 

 to find. 



Nest. Like that of the next species. 



Eggs. Four in number, of an olive or olive-brown colour, 

 somewhat sparsely-marked with light brown and underlying 

 purplish-grey spots in about equal intensity. In some 

 examples the spots are of a richer brown, and congregate 

 somewhat towards the larger end of the egg. The form 

 varies from a stout to an elongated pear-shape. Axis, 2-05- 

 2-35 inches; diam., 1-45-1-55. 



II. THE BLACK- TAILED GODWIT. LIMOSA LIMOSA. 



Scolopax limosa^ Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 246 (1766). 



Limosa agocephala (Linn.), Macgill. Brit. B. iv. p. 269 (1852) ; 

 Dresser, B. Eur. viii. p. 211, pi. 574 (1872); B. O. U. List 

 Brit. B. p. 178 (1883); Saunders, ed. Yarrell's Brit. B. iii. 

 p. 488 (1883); Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B. part xxvii. 



(1893). 



Totanus melanurus, Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B. iii. p. 162 (1885). 

 Limosa belgica (Gm.), Saunders, Man. Brit. B. p. 609 (1889). 

 Livwsa limosa, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiv. p. 381 (1896). 



(Plate XCf.) 



Adult Male in Winter Plumage. General colour above ashy- 

 brown, with slightly paler edges to the feathers ; lower back 

 and rump blackish-brown ; upper tail-coverts white, the long 

 ones tipped with black ; lesser wing-coverts darker brown than 

 the back ; median coverts dusky-brown, lighter brown exter- 

 nally, and fringed with white ; greater coverts broadly tipped 

 with white, forming a wing-band ; bastard-wing blackish ; pri- 

 mary-coverts also blackish, the inner ones broadly tipped with 

 white ; primaries blackish, with white shafts, the greater part 

 of the inner webs white, and then sub-terminally brown, the 

 white extending to the base of the outer web on all but the first 

 primary, and increasing in extent on the inner primaries and 

 secondaries, the latter being white, with a broad blackish tip, 

 which gradually diminishes in size on the inner secondaries ; 

 the innermost secondaries brown like the back tail white at 



