﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  323 
  

  

  Totanus 
  melanoleucus 
  (Gmelin) 
  

  

  Greater 
  Yellow-legs 
  

  

  Plate 
  36 
  

  

  Scolopax 
  melanoleuca 
  Gmelin. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  1788. 
  Ed. 
  i. 
  2: 
  659 
  

   Totanus 
  melanoleucus 
  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  250, 
  fig. 
  221 
  

  

  •A. 
  O.'U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  254 
  

  

  tot' 
  anus, 
  Ital. 
  totano, 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  snipe; 
  ntelanoleu'cus, 
  Gr. 
  /xe'Aus, 
  black; 
  

  

  XevKos, 
  white 
  

  

  Description. 
  Large; 
  bill 
  longer 
  than 
  head, 
  bent 
  very 
  slightly 
  upward 
  

   from 
  the 
  middle, 
  the 
  nasal 
  groove 
  extending 
  nearly 
  half 
  way 
  to 
  tip; 
  legs 
  

   very 
  long; 
  tarsus 
  one 
  and 
  one 
  half 
  times 
  the 
  middle 
  toe; 
  legs 
  yellow; 
  bill 
  

   black; 
  plumage 
  blackish, 
  white 
  and 
  grayish 
  brown; 
  rump 
  and 
  tail 
  coverts 
  

   white, 
  imperfectly 
  barred; 
  tail 
  varying 
  from 
  white 
  to 
  gray, 
  barred 
  with 
  

   dusky; 
  primaries 
  blackish, 
  shaft 
  of 
  first 
  white; 
  flanks 
  and 
  rmder 
  tail 
  coverts 
  

   barred 
  with 
  dusky 
  ; 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  streaked 
  with 
  white 
  and 
  dusky. 
  Suimner: 
  

   Upper 
  parts 
  varied 
  with 
  black, 
  gray 
  and 
  white, 
  the 
  former 
  quite 
  prominent 
  ; 
  

   under 
  parts 
  white 
  spotted 
  and 
  barred 
  with 
  blackish, 
  except 
  on 
  the 
  belly. 
  

   Winter: 
  Upper 
  parts 
  brownish 
  gray 
  spotted 
  with 
  white 
  and 
  dusky 
  on 
  

   the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  feathers 
  ; 
  under 
  parts 
  white, 
  lightly 
  streaked 
  with 
  grayish 
  on 
  

   the 
  jugulum 
  and 
  breast. 
  

  

  Length 
  12. 
  15-15 
  inches; 
  extent 
  23-26; 
  wing 
  7.5-7.85; 
  tarsus 
  2.5-2.75; 
  

   middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  1.7; 
  length 
  from 
  tip 
  of 
  bill 
  to 
  end 
  of 
  outstretched 
  

   toes 
  16-18 
  inches; 
  bill 
  2.2-2.3; 
  weight 
  6-10 
  ounces. 
  

  

  Range 
  and 
  migration. 
  This 
  species 
  breeds 
  from 
  Minnesota 
  and 
  the 
  

   Gulf 
  of 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  through 
  boreal 
  America, 
  and 
  migrates 
  southward 
  

   both 
  on 
  the 
  seacoast 
  and 
  through 
  the 
  interior, 
  wintering 
  from 
  the 
  gulf 
  

   coast 
  to 
  Patagonia. 
  With 
  us 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  migrant. 
  The 
  spring 
  migra- 
  

   tions 
  begin 
  from 
  the 
  9th 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  March 
  or 
  the 
  5th 
  of 
  April 
  on 
  the 
  

   coast, 
  and 
  end 
  from 
  the 
  ist 
  to 
  the 
  5th 
  of 
  June, 
  stragglers 
  sometimes 
  appear- 
  

   ing 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  the 
  2 
  2d 
  of 
  June. 
  The 
  return 
  movement 
  begins 
  from 
  the 
  loth 
  

   to 
  the 
  25th 
  of 
  July, 
  continues 
  through 
  August 
  and 
  September, 
  and 
  ends 
  

   from 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  October 
  to 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  November. 
  Through 
  the 
  interior 
  

   of 
  the 
  State 
  this 
  species 
  rarely 
  appears 
  before 
  the 
  12th 
  of 
  April, 
  is 
  most 
  

   often 
  seen 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  April, 
  but 
  is 
  occasionally 
  observed 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  May. 
  Along 
  the 
  lakes 
  the 
  fall 
  migration 
  com- 
  

   monly 
  begins 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  August 
  and 
  continues 
  till 
  late 
  in 
  

  

  