Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



474 



SCOLOPAX. 



It breeds in both islands of Japan, and passes the Philippine Islands and the coasts 

 of China on migration to winter in Australia and Tasmania. 



SCOLOPAX NEMORICOLA. 



WOOD-SNIPK 



Diagnosis. Scolopax secundariis vald^ (ciroa 16 millim.) ultra primariarum tectrices extensis : rectricilms 

 duodeviginti. 



Variations. In this species the tibia is sometimes feathered to the joint, and sometimes bare for a 

 quarter of an inch or more, but the latter is probably caused by abrasion. 



Synonymy. 



Literature. 



Specific 

 characters. 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



Gallinago nemoricola, Hodgson, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1836, p. 8. 

 Nemoricola nipalensis, Hodgson, Joum. As. Soc. Beng. vi. p. 491 (1837). 

 Scolopax nemoricola [Hodgson), Jerdon, III. Ind. Orn. pi. ix. (1847). 



Plates.— Jerdon, 111. Ind. Orn. pi. ix. ; Hume & Marshall, Game Birds India &c. iii. p. 325. 



^ ' I Hume & Marshall, Game Birds India &c. iii. p. 325. 



Eggs. J 



The Wood-Snipe may be diagnosed from all its congeners by its combination of two 

 characters : fail cowposed of more than 16 feathers, shortest secondaries projecting more 

 than half an inch beyond the longest primary -coverts. The latter character indicates 

 comparatively limited powers of flight, and is consistent with its recorded habits, which 

 closely resemble those of the Woodcock. 



The six central tail-feathers are black, broadly tipped with chestnut, but of the six 

 outer feathers on each side (which are grey, irregularly barred with dark brown) only four 

 on each side are very narrow (varying from "1 to "3 in.). 



The Wood-Snipe appears to be entirely confined to India and Burma, breeding at 

 high elevations in the Himalayas from Nepal to Assam, migrating in autumn to winter in 

 hilly districts further south in those countries. The nearest allies of this species appear 

 to be the other Snipes which, like it, have more than fourteen tail-feathers ; but, strange to 

 say, it bears a superficial resemblance to S.jamesoni and 8. imperialis from the northern 

 Andes. The three species have the whole of the underparts profusely barred, and the 



