SCOLOPACID.E — THE SNIFL; FAMILY — ACTODKOMAS. 



233 



wushccl with lijjht rufous ur rusty ochracetius ; tlie twitliers black ceiitrully, proiluciuj,' uonHpicuous 

 streaks, which widen into spots on the suapului's and back; rump and middle upper tail-eoverta 

 brownish black ; lateral upper tail-coverts white, with dusky shalt-streaks. Middle tail-i'eathera 

 dusky, edj,'<Ml with lighter ; other rectrices pale iirownish j,'ray, l)orderi'd with white. Wiiif,'-covcrta 

 liu'ht 1,'rayish brown, with paler lionlers avd darker centres ; a lit,dit superciliary Htri|ie, and a 

 darker loral one. Cheeks, sides of the neck, whole juguluni, and breast, pale day-color or li^jlit 

 u'Viiyish 1; ■•!', streaked with dusky ; sides sparsely stri'ukeil. Heiiiainin;^' lower parts ininiaiiilate 

 uliite. " IJasal half of bill dull j^reenish yellow" (Nici.sox, MS.). Adult in u-iiilir: Sindlar to 

 .-.uininer pluiuaj^e, but the rusty tint al)ovc almost or wholly absent, anil the black markini,'s les.4 

 sharply delined. Yomuj, Jird plutiuujc : Quite similar to the summer adult, but the scapulars and 

 outer interscapulars conspicuously tipped externally with white, the breast, etc., more distinctly 

 bull', and rather more narrowly streaked. 



Total length, about !).(X) inches; wing, about 5.(H) ; culmen, 1.10; tarsus, l.(»()-l.l(); middle 

 toe, .!»(). 



Tlic history of this bird is very iinport'cctly known. Duviiif,' its seasons of 

 migration it is i\\\\t(> iilmiKhuit, both on tlu' soa-coast and in tlic intt'rior, about the 

 honlers of ponds and the shores of lakes and rivers. As to its distribution during 

 the breeding-season, we liavi- no jiositive information. Solitary individuals have been 

 ol)served by Mr. Kumlien about i^ake Koskoiunig during tlie summer, and at first he 

 supposed they were breeding ; but as no nests were found, it is supposed that these 

 individuals wt're only uiunated birds. This speeies has also been observed in the 

 viciinty of Boston late in .Inly, in eonipaiiy with the; nilniitilln ; but it is impossible 

 to dcteriuine whether tiu! birds thus seen were immature, or sueh as had thus early 

 completed the (hities of incubation. It is eonii)aratively ran; on the Pacific^ coast. A 

 single specimen was collected at Sitka by Jiischoff, and Dall speaks of it as iu)t uncom- 

 nioii at I'lover Hay, Siberia ; but it was iu)t noticed by him on the Aleutian Islands. 

 Dr. Cooper has met with iioiu' on the California coast, but states that they have been 

 taken at I'uget Sound; ami as they visit South America, he thinks that they must 

 oecusioiially i)e found on the southern coast of (lalifornia: but this is purely eonjec- 

 tural. It was taken at Fort Simi)Son by Mr. 15. H. Koss, at Fort Anderson by Mi". 

 MacFarlane, and at Fort Hesolutiou by 'S\y. Kennicott. 



In the winter this bird visits the West Indies, Central Anu'rica, where it is very 

 abundant, as well as various portions of South America. Mr. Salvin states that 

 aliout the beginning of April, and toward tiie end of the dry season, a great portion 

 of the stream is diverted from the River (xuacalate aiul thrown on the open pasture- 

 bind lu'ar Dueiias, in Guatcmahi. During this period large numbers of Srolo/mcldce 

 frequent the iiuiudati'd region ; of these the present si)ecies of Wader is by far the 

 most abundant. At this season, as it thus takes its food from fresh water, it is excel- 

 lent eating. .Mr. Edward Newton ,,i<eaks of having occasioiudly met with this bird, 

 alter Septend)er 14, at St. Ci'oix, where he oittained several examples. He did not 

 at any time set> more than two of " "m together. Leotaud gives this species as one 

 of the migratory visitants of Trinidad, whither it goes in August, remaining into 

 (•(•tober. It is always found in Hocks, and frequents the low meadows rather than 

 the sea-shore. It is often seen to crouch on tlu; ground, and is known on the island 

 as tins " crouching shore-bird." Not unfrequently, it is seen accompanying a number 

 of the raimtns, the latter seeming to act as its guides. 



Mr. N. B. ^loore procured several examples of this species in the Bahamas as 

 early as August 5. In South Americ;i its occurrence has been noted even as far 

 south as Patagonia. Mr. H. Durnford ("Ibis," 1877) found it abundant in the Chupat 

 Galley, where he saw large Hocks of this bird about the salt lagoon to the north of 

 the village, and also on the sandy fiats at the mouth of the river. In their movement 



VOL. I. — 30 



