334 The Water-fowl Family 



glossy black, with a greenish reflection ; tail, gray ; bill, black ; 

 iris, red ; legs and feet, lake-red. 



Adult female in breeding plumage — Top of head, back, and scapu- 

 lars, brownish slate, otherwise similar to the male ; iris, reddish 

 brown. 



Young— Similar to the female, but the feathers of the back, scapu- 

 lars, and tertials, bordered with buff; black on the head and 

 neck finely mottled with buff. 



Downy young — Above, light fulvous gray, mottled with dusky, and 

 marked with black on crown, back and rump; lower parts, 

 fulvous white. 



Measurements — Length, 15 inches; wing, 9 inches; culmen, 2.50 

 inches ; tarsus, 4 inches.. 



Eggs — Four in number ; color, dark drab spotted with bistre ; measure 

 1.73 by 1.20 inches. 



Habitat — Breeds in Florida, the Bahamas, and probably the West 

 Indies, and from northern California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, 

 Colorado, Kansas, and probably Idaho, south to Louisiana, 

 Texas, and Mexico. Winters from the West Indies, Louisiana, 

 Texas, and Lower California, south to northern Brazil, Peru, 

 and the Galapagos. Rare east of the Mississippi north of 

 Florida, but has been recorded north to Massachusetts and New 

 Brunswick, and in Bermuda. 



This graceful wader is common in the south- 

 western United States and from thence south 

 through Mexico and Central America. In May, 

 1 90 1, I met with the black-necked stilt near Tam- 

 pico. They were in small flocks of from three to 

 six individuals, and frequented the marshes along 

 the lagoons where the grass was short, keeping 

 near the edge of the water and showing no fear 

 of the dugout as it was pushed quietly by. The 

 birds stopped feeding and watched the craft, tilt- 

 ing their bodies exactly after the manner of the 



