M. GRISEUS SCOLOPACEUS : GREATER LONG-BEAK. 203 



to 3.25 in length, while that of griseus seldom if ever 

 reaches 2.50. "The M. scolopaceus not only exceeds 

 the other in length of bill, etc., but the whole general 

 appearance is very noticeably different, and it can be 

 easily distinguished from M. griseus some distance off. 

 Mr. George N. Lawrence says : ' In all three of my 

 specimens which are in full summer plumage, the breast 

 and entire abdomen is of a uniform rather pale rufous, 

 without spots or bars, but the sides of the breast are 

 transversely barred with black. In an example from 

 Texas, the breast is barred in the same manner as the 

 ones from Cuba.' In all of the seventeen specimens of 

 M. scolopaceus I have examined," continues Mr. N. T. 

 Lawrence, " the character of the plumage is strongly 

 marked, with still another feature, and that is in having 

 the feathers of the breast and abdomen edged with 

 a lighter rufous or white, this being particularly strongly 

 marked in a specimen in the collection of Mr. George 

 N. Lawrence, taken in Florida, during the spring 

 of 1879. In summer specimens of M. griseus, the 

 rufous of the breast blends into white on the abdomen, 

 and the whole is more or less spotted. In the notes, 

 which are so characteristic of all the Limicolcs, and 

 in the time of its arrival and departure during the 

 spring and fall migrations, it differs essentially from 

 M. griseus. The note of M. scolopaceus is much louder 

 and clearer, and easily distinguished from the rather 

 plaintive note of M. griseus, having about the same 

 relation as the notes of the Big and Little Yellow-leg 

 bear to each other." Mr. Lawrence gives further 

 the memoranda relating to six instances in which he 

 observed the bird on Long Island (in each case singly) 

 from Aug. 7 to Oct. 13. 



