BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 205 
though narrow lateral groove; nostril subbasal, small, longitudinally 
elliptical; feathering at base of bill forming a re-entrant angle at 
base of culmen, the malar antia slightly but distinctly anterior to 
loral antia (nearly in line with middle of nostril), the mental antia 
about on line with anterior end of nostril. Wing long and pointed, 
the longest primary (outermost) exceeding distal secondaries by 
more than half the length of wing and extending far beyond tips of 
longest tertials. Tail about two-fifths as long as wing, truncate or 
slightly doubly emarginate, the middle pair of rectrices contracted 
but not acuminate terminally and projecting beyond the rest; rec- 
trices 12. Tarsus slender, as long as exposed culmen or longer, 
continuously scutellate anteriorly and posteriorly; bare portion of 
tibia more than half as long as tarsus, also scutellate before and 
behind; middle toe, without claw, more than half as long as tarsus, 
the outer toe decidedly shorter, the inner toe still shorter; anterior 
toes all connected basally by webs, that between outer and middle 
toes considerably larger than that between inner and middle toes. 
Coloration—In summer adults, upper parts varied with black, 
pale gray, and light buff, the first prevailing on back and scapulars; 
wing-coverts grayish, margined with paler; upper tail-coverts white, 
marked with dusky streaks and bars; top of head dusky, streaked 
with whitish; ear-coverts and patch on each side of occiput, light 
rusty; streak of dusky from eye to corner of mouth;‘rest of head, 
with neck,‘ dull white, streaked with dusky, the lower parts” whitish 
barred with dusky. In winter, upper parts uniform gray, except 
tail-coverts, wings, and tail, which are as in summer; superciliary 
stripe and lower parts white, the chest, sides of neck, and lower tail- 
coverts streaked with grayish. Young with back and scapulars 
dusky, all the feathers margined with pale{buffgor buffy whitish; 
wing-coverts margined with pale buff and white; upper tail-coverts 
nearly immaculate white; lower parts soiled white, the chest and 
sides more or less strongly washed with buff, and indistinctly streaked 
with grayish. 
Range.—North America, breeding far northward; migrating to 
Middle and South America. (Monotypic.) 
MICROPALAMA HIMANTOPUS (Bonaparte). 
STILT SANDPIPER. 
Adulis in summer.—Pileum and hindneck streaked with dusky 
and grayish white, the former predominating on crown; back and 
scapulars varigated with black and pale gray, usually intermixed 
with buffy, the first prevailing; wing-coverts deep brownish gray 
margined with much paler gray, the secondaries darker, narrowly 
edged with white, the proximal ones more broadly margined ter- 
minally with white; primaries and primary coverts dusky; rump 
