484 GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. 



species as of the other. But they come in very capriciously ; 

 some days there will be nothing but Pintails, another day they 

 are all common Snipe. The Snipe seem generally well in by the 

 1st November, and right up to the end of April a considerable 

 number are generally to be seen, but after the 1st of May very 

 few indeed are seen, and in some years the majority have dis- 

 appeared by the 15 th April. 

 872. — Gallinago gallinula, Lin. 

 A few, almost every day during the cold season. 



873. — Rhynchea bengalensis, Lin. 



A few of these (rarely above 20 On any one day, usually 

 about ^ a dozen) are brought in almost daily throughout the year. 



874.-— Macroramphus semipalmatus, Jerd. 



This bird is still amongst our rarest. Jerdon obtained one speci- 

 men of it, the type, in the Madras market. Blyth, one in that 

 of Calcutta on the 12 th December 1847, while Mr. Oates says 

 he got two specimens in Pegu. I know of no other instances 

 of this bird being obtained within our limits (it has been met 

 with in Dauria, Mongolia, Siberia, China and Japan) until I 

 was lucky enough to meet with three specimens in the market 

 on the 13th December 1878 — thirty-one years and one day 

 after Blyth got his. They were captured in an ordinary snipe 

 net about 13 miles south-east of Calcutta. 



So little is known about this species that a rather full des- 

 cription, with measurements, will be, I think, useful. The speci- 

 mens were two females and one male. There appears in this 

 case (unlike that of the Godwits) to be no difference in the 

 size of the sexes. 



The following are the dimensions, &c, of my three speci- 

 mens :— 



Female. Male. Female. 



Length ... ... ... 130 133 133 



Expanse ... ... ... 225 23 23 5 



Wing ... ... ... 6-7.5 6-8 71 



Tail from vent ... ... ... 2 6 24 2 5 



Tarsus ... ... ... 21 20 22 



Mid toe and claw... ... ... 155 158 148 



Hind toe and claw ... ... 058 06 0'6 



Bill at front from margin of feathers ... 2"88 3*15 3*12 



Bill from gape ... ... ... 2"89 30. 307 



Height of both mandibles — at base, at 



margin of feathers ... ... 0'45 0*45 0'47 



Bare portion of tibia ... ... 1'16 1"2 1*32 



Weight ..• ... ••• 3'9 ozs. 4'0 ozs. 4'1 ozs. 



Wings when closed reach 0'2 beyond end of tail ; first quill 

 longest, second a trifle shorter— elongated tertials nearly equal 

 to third quill ; outer toe, to second joint, connected by a web 



