266 



PK.KC<)("IA1, (ii:AJ,I,AT(H!KS— LIMICOL.K. 



Total Ifiijjlli about I8.(K) iiiL-lm-* : wiiif,', !).(K> ; tail, :J.")() ; l>ill, l.(H> to n.tMl ; tarsim, a(K» iiuliis.' 

 Tlir |iliiiiia^'i' (if this liiiil in soiiii' .-la;.'('s is wiiiidfi riiily similar to tliat of SiniuitiiiK lunijininlrii ; 

 in i'arl the ri'sciiililanri' is so ^^'ival lliat \w\v it hhI I'm' the rons[iii'Uoiis ^^cnt'cic (liU'i'rcni'cx il 

 would III- ratliiT ililliriilt to distiii^uisli tliciii s|i(ritii'alK. Itotli have in'ccist'ly the Huiiif tints nl 

 color, anil also a nearly idfutiral di-^liilmtion oi' ihr markings, Tlu' main diU'i'it'iici's a|i|ii'ar to lir 

 till' rollowin'^ ; In XfiitnuKs ihi' Mink liais nl'llu- npiirr paits air lonni'ilcil liyliroad stri|u's aloii;,' 

 the niiddlu III' liii' ri'athri's, whili' in Limii.*n jhesc liars are all isolati'd and nanowri', a.-< well as iiI'm 

 less deep lilai'k. The lon;;iludinal .streaks on the head and neck are utucli lesx eons|iicuoiis in 

 Limtmii ; in the latter there is also ol'lener a tendency to Iransvcrse burs on the crissuni, and le«- 

 ol'ten to streaks on the lorent'ck. 



Till' (Sn'iit Marlilcil (Jculwit has lit'cii rouiitl throughout North Amorica from llir 

 I'acitic to the Atlaiitie loast. hut is not known to orcur north oi' the Selkirk Settle 

 luciit-, Manitiiha. ami Ilinlson's l>ay ; nor has it yet heeii traeeil any nearer than this 

 to the Aretie (.'iride. ami it is not known to oecnr in any jiart ol' Alaska. I!y our 

 earlier writers it was supiioseil to lie only a hint <d' transit in the rnited States; Iml 

 this is a mistake. It is now kmiwn * i lireed in Northern Ohio, in W'iseonsiii, Iowa. 

 Minm'sota, Kansas, ami Nebraska, ami also not improbalily in 'i'e.Nas ami the intei- 

 venin^,' re},Mon. It iia.s.ses the winte ehietly in the Wt-st India Islands, Ale.xieo, Cen- 

 tral ami South America. 



y\Y. Leyluml louml this s|ieeies eomnion at the Ueli/e ; .Mr. Salvin nu't with it on 

 tlio I'ai'itie eoast of tiuatemala. ami .Mr. Ilenshaw mentions its a|i|iearini^ in lari;i' 

 tioeks on the Califoriiian eoast both in s|irin,i;' ami fall. It is also j,MVi'n by ^Ir. If. 

 IJrowi e in his List of the Hinls of ^'am•onver Island ; but it does not appear to have 

 been traeed farther north on the Taeilie coast than that island, ami it is not men- 

 tioned by .Mr. Dall. 



According to Li'otaud it visits the Island of Trinidad, aiTivinj; there in the nmnth 

 of Anj,nist and remainiii.u until October. It is always found on the bonh'is of the 

 .sea, and is never present in threat numbers. It is ineluded by i)r. (iumllach ainon;,' 

 the birds of Cuba. 



Ivichardson speaks of this species as abounding,' in the Fur Country, esjiccially in 

 the interior, and mentions it as particularly abumlant on the Tlainsof the Saskatche- 

 wan, where it freipieiits marshy places, walkiii;; on the surface of the s/i/ini/iin, and 

 thrusting its bill amonj,' them up to the nostrils. The stomachs of Uiohc that lie 

 kilh'd when so en^ao;cil were found to be lilled with fraj,'ments of leeches. The same 

 author states that in the I'nited ."states it is a nu're bird of tiassaj,'e. winteriiij,' beyond 

 our southern limit; but this is ai' "ir.r, as this species — to some extent — b.illi 

 breeds and winters within our limit. -lah's of this species killed in the I'ur |{e;,'iiiii 

 on the I'lst of .June had already be!,'un to moult. The iiliimaf^e of the females at the 

 samt> jieriod appeared mm h worn, but showed no m-w feathers. Cajilain Jllakiston 

 also met with this species on the .Saskatchewan, and iifterward received spocimeiis 

 of it from II\id;on's I'ay. in wliieh re<,'ion .Mr. Murray also noticed it occasionally. 



Mr. Dresf 'r nu'iitioii' that in .Inne he noticed a lew of tlu'se birds m-ar Mrownville 

 and Matanioras, but was able to procure only one specinu'ii. Their occurrence in tha; 

 locality at that jieriod rcii'cr.s it not imi»o.ssible that a few may breed even in thai 



' A sorics of ten s)ii'iiini'ns, niclinlinjf iiii i'i|in(l niaalie;- of Mmles iiiid females, shot tiy Mr. Franklin 

 lli'liner, in Milllli'Sdt.l, lietweell .Illlle .Mil aiel 20lh, was e.ni'fillly nieiislllrd. wila the liillowili),' lesalls : 

 Miilm: Tiiliil li'ii^'tli. lti.,'lo-i7.H'J, aviTiiK"', 17. "H' ; extent, ;Ui..'i(l-:n,.''i0, iivehij;i', :tl.lO; l.ill, :!.(;•!-(. no, 

 ni.Tnge, ;{.S4. J-Vmalis: Tntal linntli. is. l'J-l!i,(|-.>, :ivirafj!e, llt.lo ; extent, :f.'.(io-;i;).87, iiveliine, .'l-',8'-' : 

 bi>:, 4.54-5.00, a-.riiKe, 4.77. (See "Hull. .V'utl. Om. Cluh,' V. ,1 in. IbSn, y. 18.) 



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