LIMOSA. 367 



1. Limosa fedoa. 



The Greater American Godwit, Edwards^ Nat. Hist. Birds, iii. p. 137, t. 137 \ 



Scolopax fedoa, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 244^. 



Limosa fedoa, Moore, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 64'; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 230* ; Salv. Ibis, 1865, 



p. 190 ' ; 1889, p. 379 ° ; Dresser, Ibis, 1866, p. 39 ' ; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 210 " ; 



Mem. Bost. Sec. N. H. ii. p. 308'; Duges, La Nat. i. p. 142"; Sumicbr. La Nat. v. 



p. 232"; Baird, Brewer, & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Amer. i. p. 255 " ; Herrera, La Nat. 



(2) i.pp. 186", 328 "; Elliot, N. Amer. Shore-Birds, p. 105 "; A. O. U. Check-1. N. Amer. 



Birds, 2nd ed. p. 91 " ; Sbarpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxir. p. 391 ". 



Ptil. Mem. Supra brunnea, pallide cinnamomeo maculata vel fasciata ; alis ciimamomeis, plumis medialiter 

 brunneo striatis, tectricibus majoribus vix brunneo vermiculatim fasciatis ; remigibus cinnamomeis, 

 primariis extimis extus et ad apicem saturate sepiariis, proximis paullo cinnamomeo extus vermiculatis ; 

 secundariis plerisque cinnamomeis concoloribus, intimis dorso concoloribus brunneo fasciatis ; dorso postico, 

 uropygio, supracaudalibus rectricibusque cinnamomeis, brunneo transfasciatis ; pileo brunneo, plumis 

 medialiter saturate brunneis, quasi striatis ; loris fusceseentibus ; supercUio lato isabellino ; facie laterali 

 isabellina, minute brunneo striolata ; corpore subtus pallide cervino ; subalaribus, axillaribus et remigibus 

 intus clare cinnamomeis : rostro nigricanti-brunneo, mandibula dimidiatim earnea ; pedibus cyanescenti- 

 griseis ; iride brunnea. Long, tota circa 16-5, alae 9"3, caudae 3"4, culm. 4'6, tarsi 2"8. (Descr. avis 

 adultse ex Cbiapam. Mus. nostr.) 



Ptil. cestiv. Supra ptilosi hiemali simUis, sed nigricantior ; gutture albidiore ; collo minute brunneo striate et 

 bypochondriis brunneo anguste fasciatis distiuguenda. (Descr. avis adultsB ex Dakota. Mus. Brit.) 



Hah. NoBTH Amebica, breeding in the interior, from Iowa and Nebraska, northward to 

 Manitoba and the Saskatchewan i^. — Mexico (Sumichrast^^), Matamoros {Dresser''), 

 Mazatlan (Grayson ^, Abert % Guanajuato {Duges ^% Valley of Mexico [Her- 

 rera^^^% Merida 'in Yucatan (Schott^), Cozumel I. (Gatimer ^ ^'') ; Beitish 

 Honduras, Belize [Leyland ^ *) ; Guatemala, Chiapam {0. S.^ i^).— Cuba i^ 



The Marbled Godwit breeds in the interior of North America as far north as 

 Manitoba, its nesting-range being of about the same extent as that of Numenius 

 longirostris, and, like that species, it does not visit the Arctic Regions. It is a winter 

 visitor to Central America, being common at Mazatlan during that season, remaining till 

 late in the spring, while, according to Grayson, a few stop throughout the summer ^. 

 Herrera states that this Godwit is very common in the Valley of Mexico ^^, and Salvin 

 found it abundant on the Lagoon of Chiapam ^. 



L. fedoa reaches its northern home in small parties and pairs soon after arrival. 

 On the autumn passage it frequents the saltings and mud-flats in flocks of from twenty 

 to thirty individuals, but sometimes thousands of these birds have been observed 

 together. They often feed in company and exhibit much attachment to each other. 

 The nest is a depression in the ground with a slight lining of grass, and is usually found 

 near water. The eggs are four in number, of an olive-drab colour, with various shades 

 of yellow and umber-brown ^^ 



