GREAT MARBLED GODWIT. 289 



Ltmosa Fedoa, Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 328. — Swains. 



and Richards, Fauna-Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 395. 

 Great Makbled Godwit, Scolopax Fedoa, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. vii. p. 30. 



pi. 56. fig. 4 Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 173. 



Adult Male. Plate CCXXXVIII. Fig. 1. 



Bill very long, slender, subcylindrical, tapering to the obtuse point, 

 slightly recurved. Upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly curved up- 

 wards in its whole extent, the ridge convex, the sides with a narrow groove 

 extending almost to the point, the edges rather obtuse, the tip very slightly 

 enlarged. Nostrils basal, lateral, nearer the edge than the dorsal line, 

 small, linear, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle very long and 

 extremely narrow, the dorsal line slightly recurved, the sides with a nar- 

 row groove extending almost to the end, the edge rather blunt, the tip 

 obtuse. 



Head small, oblong, compressed. Neck rather long, slender. Body 

 slender. Feet long and slender. Tibia bare for about a third, anteriorly 

 scutellate ; tarsus long, slender, covered anteriorly with numerous scu- 

 tella, scutellate behind also, laterally reticulate ; toes small, slender, scu- 

 tellate above, flat beneath, broadly marginate, the anterior connected at 

 the base by webs, of which the outer is much larger ; first toe very small, 

 second slightly shorter than fourth, third little longer. Claws small, com- 

 pressed, slightly arched, obtuse, that of middle toe with the inner edge 

 curved outwards and thin. 



Plumage soft and blended, on the fore part of the head very short, on 

 the neck short and almost downy, on the abdomen and sides full, on the 

 back moderate ; all the feathers oblong and rounded. Wings rather long, 

 very acute, narrow ; primaries tapering, the first longest, the second little 

 shorter, the rest rapidly graduated ; secondaries incurved, obliquely round- 

 ed, the inner elongated and tapering. Tail short, even, of twelve narrow, 

 rounded feathers. 



Bill dull flesh-colour in its basal half, the rest blackish-brown. Iris 

 brown. Feet bluish-grey. The head and neck light yellowish-grey, the 

 throat without markings, the upper part of the head streaked with black- 

 ish-brown, as is the hind-neck, the markings there being fainter. The 

 rest of the upper parts spotted and barred with brownish-black and grey- 

 ish-yellow. Alula and primary coverts brownish-black, as are the outer 

 vol.. III. T 



