712 



U. S. p. E. B. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ^ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



MACEOKHAMPHUS GEISEUS, (amelin,) Leach. 



Gray Snipe; Red-bieasted Snipe. 



Scolopax grisea, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 658, No. 27. 



Maerorhamphus griseus, "Leach, Catal. Brit. Mus. 1816, 31." — Stephens, Shaw. Gen. Zool. XII, 1824,61 — 



Bon. Am. Orn. IV, 1332, 51 ; pi. xxiii. 

 Scolopax noveboracends, Gm. Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 658, No. 28 — Wilson, Am. Orn. VII, 1813, 45 ; pi. Iviii — Sw. 



F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 398 Aud. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 288; pi. 339.— Ib. Syn. 249.— 



Ib. Birds Amer. Vl, 1843, 10 ; pi. 351. 

 Scolopax Itucophaea, Vieillot, Diet. Ill, 358, (2d ed.) Not of Latham. 

 Sp. Ch. — Rather smaller than the preceding ; bill long, compressed, flattened and expanded towards the end, and in the 

 s'lme space punctulated and corrugated ; wing rather long ; shaft of first primary strong ; tail short ; legs rather long. Sdult. 

 Upper parts variegated with dark ashy, pale reddish and black, the latter predominating on the back ; rump and upper tail 

 coverts, white, the latter spotted and barred transversely with black. Under parts pale ferruginous red, with numerous points 

 and circular spots of brownish black on the neck before, and transverse bands of the same on the sides and under tail coverts ; 

 axillary feathers and under wing coverts white, spottei and transversely barred with black. Quills brownish black ; shaft of 

 first primary white ; tail brownish black, with numerous transverse bands of ashy white, and frequently tinged with ferruginous, 

 especially on the two middle feathers ; bill greenish black ; legs dark greenish brown. Younger. Entire under parts dull white, 

 strongly marked with dull ashy on the neck in front, and transverse bands of the same on the sides ; axillary feathers and under 

 wing coverts white, spotted with brownish black ; upper parts lighter than in the adult. Total length about 10 Inches ; winj, 

 5| ; tail, 2^ ; bill, 2| ; tarsus, IJ inch. . 



Hab. — Entire temperate regions of North America, 



Quite a variable species in plumage, scarcely any two being exactly alike, except in very 

 mature plumage, but always readily distinguished from the preceding by the white shaft of the 

 first quill in the present bird. This bird is widely distributed, and is very similar to, if not 

 identical with, the succeeding species. 



In the list of specimens I give species of sizes varying between considerable extremes, reserving 

 for M. scolopaceus only three, which are still larger than any of these. 



List of specimens. 



MACEOEHAMPHUS SCOLOPACEUS, (Say,) Lawrence. 



Limosa scolopaceus, Sat, Long's Exped. II, 1823, 170. 



Macrorhampliua scolopaceus, (Sat,) Lawr. Ann. N. Y. Lye. N. H. V, 1852, (Read Jan. 1849,) 4, pi. i. 

 Scolopax longirostris. Bell, Ann. N. Y. Lye. V, 1852, (Road Oct. 9, 1848, and published soon after, but vol. dated 

 1852,j3. 



Figures.— Bonaparte, Am. Orn. IV, pi. 23, fig. 3. Annals, Lyceum N. Y. V, pi. 1. 



