790 Birds of Celebes: Charadriidae. 



c. Scolopax megala fl) Eosenb., Malay. Archip. 1S78, 278; (2) id., Zool. Garten 1881, 167; 



(3) Seeb., Distr. Charadr. 1887, 479; (4) id., B. Japan 1890, 343. 



d. ? Scolopax australis (1) Sharpe, Ibis 1888, 203. 



e. Scolopax stenura Kubl (Gallinago stenura auctorttm). 



For further synonymy and references cf. Salvadori 12; Taczanowski 21; Sbarpe 25. 



Figure and descriptions. Radde a I; Swinhoe 1; David & Oust. 8; Salvadori 12; 

 Seebobm c 3 (woodcut of tail); Taczanowski 21; Sbarpe 25. 



Autumn. Head above black, with a mesial stripe of buff-brown; back and scapulars 

 black, with a long buff-brown inters capulary stripe on each side and the scapulars 

 broadly edged with buff-brown; lower back blackish brown, with whitish tips, rump 

 with buff-brown tips; u^jper tail-coverts more russet brown, with indistinct bars; 

 tail-feathers, 20 in number, black, with a broad (ca. 1 cm) subterminal space of 

 dark ferruginous on the six middle feathers, bounded distally with an irregular black 

 hne, the tip whitish; the lateral rectrices much attenuated (the outennost ca. 2.5 Tmn 

 broad at 10 mm from tip, the sixth ca. 6 mm broad), tipped with white, basally 

 blackish, the outermost two or thi-ee mottled basally with blackish and white; lesser 

 and outer greater wing-coverts, primary coverts and remiges dark hair- 

 brown, most of the coverts tipped with white; middle and inner greater wing- 

 coverts and tertiaries pale brown varied with blackish bars; sides of forehead 

 and superciliary stripe, cheeks and upper throat buff-brown; loral stripe 

 blackish; neck all round, ear-coverts, jugulum, upper breast, sides and 

 under tail-coverts duller buff-brown, streaked with blackish, tending to form bars 

 on sides and tail-coverts; abdomen wliite; under wing-coverts barred with 

 blackish and white, the dark bars rather the broader; "bill blackish brown; feet grey; 

 iris nearly black" (Taczan. 21); wing 140 mm; tail 55; tarsus 33; mid. toe with 

 claw 38; exp. cubnen 60 (rT, N. Bohol, Nov. 1877: Everett — C 5426). 



Sex. The sexes are similar in coloration. 



Young. The young in down are described by Taczanowski as having a colour quite 

 different from that of the young of G. scolopaciiia, being altogether paler (des- 

 cribed: b 2, 21). 



Eggs. Ground-colour cream-white or a little more yellowish, or pale and dirty ochre; under- 

 lying spots reddish ashy, superficial ones reddish brown or brown, the large ones 

 obhquely grouped as dashes at the large end, where there are also some streaks, 

 some zigzags or black spots, on the rest of the surface only points and httle streaks 

 intermingled with a small number of dashes of moderate size; measurements 40 — 43 

 X 30 — 32 mm (from Taczanowski 21). 



Nest. Situated in a dry place covered with plant-growth, always in the open, even in bush- 

 grown spots; the nest a Httle cavity bned with dry plants (Baikal country — 

 Taczanowski 21). 



Distribution. East Siberia (Radde, etc. 21); Sakhahen (Nikolski 21); Japan (Pryer c 4); 

 China (Swinhoe 1, David S, etc.); Formosa (Swinhoe 2); Phihppines — Luzon 

 (Jagor 6, Whitehead 25), Cebu and Le}i;e (Everett 7, 9), Siquijor, Negros, 

 Masbate, Panay, Sibuyan, Calamianes, Tawi-Tawi (Bourns & Worcester 22), 

 Basilan (Steereiff), Mindanao (Everett S, Steerei^), Palawan (Whitehd. 13, 14); 

 N. Borneo (Whitehead 15); Celebes — Manado (Meyer 10), Gorontalo Distr. 

 (Forsten 5, v. Rosenb. c 2), Macassar (Weber 20); Saleyer (Everett 24); Moluccas 

 — Halmahera, Temate, Batchian, Amboina (Salvadori 12); Pelew Is. (Kub ary iS). 



Swinhoe separated this Snipe from G. stenura (Kuhl) on the ground that 

 it was larger and had fewer and broader attenuated lateral rectrices. The eggs 



