8COLOPACID>: - TF[K SVM'K FAMILY - MACHOHIIAMPIirs. 



199 



1111(1 iiliKl't iiiiuiii;' tli«' (h'iul hoilifs of their romimiiiDiiM, mily tn Mliiiit' tlit'ii- f'ati'. In 

 ili'V st'iiHoiiM tlif ,s"iitti'ri'(l HiH'k.s Ifcil aloii,' tln' iiiiicldy Hats, wiulinj,' in tlic slii»al- 

 u liter. altliiiuKli selilnin tn any .!,'i'eat ilejitii. Kven in tliese exposed situations l)iit 

 little aildi'ess is rei|iiired to appiiMrii tlie liird witliin shooting' distance. 



This Snipe is capalile nt a rapid and protracted IliKld. wliieli at tinicH is p(>rfurnii'il 

 at a j,'reat elevation. l>Mrin.i,' tlie ilry season, wiicii in search of feedinf,'-;.'i'o(inds. it 

 tlies hij,'li,iind will not he easily ilecoyed. It is very aimndant at \\^<^ llarhor, N. .1., 

 wlii're it is known as the Itrown Sidpe, aiul also as the (^nail Snijie. from its peculiar 

 (^uail-like whistle. 



In the .\tlatitie .States, aecordini,' to Lewis (•'American Sportsman," ji. 'JIH. tins 

 .•^nipe seems to conline itself to the salt-marshes, and there eonj,'rei;ates in ininiense 

 tliicks. That author f,'ives the time of its arrival in New .Ter.sey uh tiie first week in 

 May, and that of its return as the miildle of duly, when it remains until the coni- 

 lueiiceineiit of cold weather. These liirds Hy in lar^'c thtcks, collect in thick nu\sscs 

 upon tlie points to feed, ami will suffer a hoat to approach near enou^,di to ^dve them 

 a raking,' tire. They are less wary than most (d the shorc-hirds, and wlieii feedint,' in 

 I onipany with other species are always the last to take the alarm. 



hy ditfereiit explorers this species has lieeii found hreediiif,' at various points in 

 the Arctic Uegion ; as. for instance, i-'ort N'ukon, lV\n Island, Kort Uae, I'astolik, etc. 

 .Mr. 10. Adams met with it near .Miid'aelaski. Alaska (" Ihis," IST^S), where it arrived 

 (111 the L'Otli of .May, and soon spread over the marshes, siii;,'ly or in pairs ; hut the 

 fii'cater numhcr of them freipieiited the salt-marsh, where they fed ahout the mud in 

 (■(Hiipauy with flocks of AihulrdiiKis inlniiflf/n and /'r/ii/nn umi-n'rinin, tlie only birds 

 with whi(di they were seen to associate. 



Mr. .Macl''arlane found Ihis species hreediuj,' in the vVrctie IJegioii, in the vicinity 

 (if iMiit Anderson. The nests were taken lietween the I'lst <d' .Inne and the 1st of 

 July, the usual uumlier (d' e.Lt^s in a nest appearing,' to he four. The nests were 

 placed on the marshy honh rs cd' small lakes, and were compo.sed of a few decayed 

 leaves ]daced in a depression in the mossy i^round. In one instance the female was 

 sittini,' on the nest, and when ajiiu'oached, a.scenth'd in the air, iitteriuj,' shrill and 

 IdiiLj-coiitiinied notes of alarm and annoyance. She was then, after a few niiiiute.s, 

 seen to descend in a. iicrpeiidiciilar manner to her nest. 



The e,i^.i,'s of this species arc (d' a decidedly i»yriform shape, and vary considerably 

 in size — naimdy. from l.oo to 1.7.") inches in leuf,'tl , and from l.(».S to I.l'O in breadth. 

 Ill .some exainiiles the j,'roun(l is drab, with blended shadinj,'s of rufous and oliva- 

 ceous ; in others, the {{round is a fawn-colored drab, more slightly olivaceous. The 

 markings are uniformly .sepia in color, somewhat intensified about the larger end, 

 and of less size and more scatti'red at the smaller t>nd. 



It is not |)ossible to give an exact account of the distinctive habits of the form 

 called ^' srofopiiri'iis" if it really possesses any that are peculiar to it or distinguish- 

 able from those of the i)recediiig. N'or can it lie stated with certainty how far, if 

 at all, its distribution differs from that of the more common Ked-breasted Snipe. 

 In the dress of the srolojuireits this form has been met with both on the Atlantic and 

 on the racitic coast. It is found in the interior; and, in the winter, has also 

 been met with in Central America. Wiirdemann secured examples in Florida, and 

 Professor Kumlien has imicnre 1 birds of this form both in the spring and in the fall, 

 near Lake Koskonong. Lieutenant Warren obtained a single individual on the Mis- 

 souri River, near Omaha, Nebraska. It has been fonnd very common among the 

 lagoons on the Pacific coast, near San Pedro, in California (" Ibis," 180(5, j). 27). It was 

 described as not apparently ever going down to the salt-flats, its habits being given 



