﻿328 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  time 
  I 
  have 
  made 
  my 
  way 
  cautiously 
  to 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  some 
  old 
  mill 
  pond, 
  

   or 
  secluded 
  lakelet 
  in 
  the 
  forest, 
  expecting 
  to 
  see 
  Wood 
  duck, 
  Hooded 
  

   mergansers, 
  or 
  herons, 
  but 
  found 
  only 
  a 
  scattered 
  troup 
  of 
  Solitary 
  sand- 
  

   pipers 
  probing 
  in 
  the 
  "spring 
  moss" 
  (Chara 
  foetida),or 
  wading 
  quiet- 
  

   ly 
  in 
  the 
  shallow 
  water, 
  or 
  standing 
  on 
  water-soaked 
  logs 
  which 
  projected 
  

   above 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  pool. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  always 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  aware 
  of 
  my 
  

   approach 
  and 
  silently 
  nodded 
  in 
  their 
  characteristic 
  mechanical 
  manner. 
  

   They 
  are 
  silent 
  birds 
  and 
  quite 
  unsuspicious, 
  rarely 
  taking 
  wing 
  unless 
  very 
  

   closely 
  approached. 
  Sometimes 
  when 
  one 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  party 
  is 
  shot 
  the 
  

   others 
  will 
  not 
  take 
  wing, 
  or, 
  if 
  so, 
  will 
  fly 
  only 
  a 
  short 
  distance, 
  uttering 
  a 
  

   mellow 
  whistle 
  which 
  suggests 
  the 
  bird's 
  alliance 
  with 
  Yellow 
  -legs, 
  but 
  is 
  far 
  

   more 
  subdued 
  and 
  melodious. 
  When 
  alighting 
  they 
  have 
  the 
  habit, 
  even 
  

   more 
  than 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  this 
  family, 
  of 
  holding 
  their 
  long 
  wings 
  stretched 
  

   upward 
  almost 
  vertically, 
  displaying 
  the 
  striking 
  pattern 
  of 
  the 
  wing- 
  

   markings 
  and 
  slowly 
  folding 
  them 
  as 
  their 
  poise 
  is 
  gained 
  and 
  the 
  search 
  

   for 
  food 
  resumed. 
  

  

  Catoptrophonis 
  semipalmatus 
  (Gmelin) 
  

  

  WiUet 
  

  

  Plate 
  38 
  

  

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

   Totanus 
  semipalmatus 
  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  251, 
  fig. 
  219 
  

   Symphemia 
  semipalmata 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  258 
  

  

  catoptro' 
  phorus 
  , 
  Gr. 
  KaroTrrpov, 
  mirror, 
  and 
  <^€p<», 
  <^op, 
  to 
  carry, 
  referring 
  

   to 
  the 
  mirrorlike 
  wing 
  patch; 
  semipahnfi'tus^ 
  Lat., 
  half 
  webbed 
  

  

  Description. 
  Front 
  toes 
  webbed 
  at 
  the 
  base; 
  tarsus 
  i^ 
  times 
  the 
  

   middle 
  toe; 
  bill 
  thick, 
  slightly 
  recurved, 
  longer 
  than 
  head, 
  the 
  upper 
  man- 
  

   dible 
  grooved 
  for 
  about 
  h 
  its 
  length; 
  end 
  portion 
  of 
  wing 
  feathers 
  black, 
  

   bases 
  of 
  the 
  primaries 
  and 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  secondaries 
  white; 
  axillars 
  

   and 
  longer 
  under 
  coverts 
  black 
  ; 
  lesser 
  under 
  coverts 
  of 
  the 
  humerus 
  and 
  of 
  

   the 
  radius 
  and 
  ulna 
  w^hite; 
  the 
  wings 
  thus 
  showing 
  striking 
  black 
  and 
  white 
  

   pattern 
  when 
  extended; 
  tail 
  grayish 
  white; 
  upper 
  tail 
  coverts 
  mostly 
  white, 
  

   barred 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  with 
  dusk}^ 
  Summer: 
  Upper 
  parts 
  varied 
  with 
  iDlackish 
  

   and 
  ashy; 
  head 
  and 
  foreneck 
  streaked, 
  breast 
  and 
  sides 
  barred 
  with 
  dusky; 
  

   belly 
  white. 
  Winter: 
  Upper 
  parts 
  plain 
  ashy, 
  or 
  brownish 
  gray; 
  under 
  

   parts 
  white 
  shaded 
  with 
  gray 
  on 
  the 
  foreneck, 
  breast 
  and 
  sides. 
  Young: 
  

  

  