THE GREAT MARBLED GODWIT 173 
jet black. The breast and along the sides are 
marked to a greater or less extent with dusky 
lines across the feathers. The linings of the 
wings are marked with the same red color of the 
upper parts, usually brighter here and on the 
breast. Wing quills dark brown, growing 
dusky at the tips. No white anywhere on the 
bird except on the shafts of the primaries. Bill 
flesh-colored, growing dusky toward the tip. 
Legs blackish, the toes stout and flattened un- 
derneath, margined about by a considerable 
membrane. Sexes marked alike. 
Nests like the ‘‘upland,’’ anywhere in open 
fields, or in the marshes in the more usual 
shorebird manner. Eggs three to four, grayish 
green, faintly splashed with brownish spots. 
It is a great pity that we do not see more of 
the Godwits in our territory for as a game bird 
and a delicacy for the table they rank well. 
Their flesh is equal to that of any of the smaller 
shorebirds and superior to that of most of them. 
