LIMOSIKLE. 681 



Gen. Limosa, Brisson. 

 Char. — Bill very long, slender, soft, straight or slightly sub- 

 recurved at the tip, cylindrical at the base, obtuse at the point ; 

 nostrils basal ; wings moderately long, the 1st quill longest ; tail 

 short, even ; tibia bare for a considerable extent ; tarsus long, 

 slender, scutellate in front ; feet with the middle toe very long ; 

 a web between the outer and middle toes ; hind toe short ; nail 

 of middle toe dilated internally, with a cutting or finely 

 toothed edge. 



875. Limosa eegocephala, Linnaeus. 



Scolopax, apud Linnaeus — L. melanura, Leislek — L. mela- 

 nuroides, Gould — L. leucophsea, apud Jerdon, Cat. 339 also 340 

 — Bltth, Cat. 1589. — Gould, Birds of Europe, pi. — Gairiya, 

 H., sometimes Burr a chaha — Jaurali, Beng. — Tondu ulanha, Tel. 



The Small Godwit. 



Descr. — Winter plumage ; all the upper parts uniform ashy 

 brown, with the shafts of the feathers of a somewhat deeper 

 tint ; superciliary stripe, and rump white ; quills dusky, the basal 

 part of some of the primaries white ; greater wing-coverts ashy- 

 grey, broadly edged with white ; tail white at the base, the terminal 

 two-thirds black ; the two middle feathers tipped with white ; 

 beneath, the throat, neck, breast, and flanks greyish white ; the 

 abdomen and under tail-coverts white. 



Bill dull orange-reddish at the base, dusky at the tip ; irides 

 dark brown ; legs dusky greyish green. Length from 17 to 21 

 inches ; wing 8 to 9 ; tail 2f to 3| ; bill at front 3^ to 5 ; tarsus 

 2± to 4. 



In summer the head becomes black, the back and scapulars 

 black, edged and tipped with ferruginous, and the lower parts 

 bright ferruginous, the middle of the abdomen alone being white. 

 The bill becomes bright orange at the base, and the legs black. 

 Young birds have the feathers edged with reddish, and the tail 

 tipped with wdiite. 



This Godwit is found throughout India during the cold 

 weather, generally in large flocks at the edge of water. It is 



PART II. 4 R 



