112 Birds of Colorado 
Mountains. It arrives from the south about the beginning of May, 
and has been noticed at Fort Lyon, May 2nd, by Thorne, near Colorado 
Springs (Allen & Brewster), near Denver, where common in May 
(Henshaw), at Barr, where it is common on migration (Hersey & 
Rockwell), and at Loveland, where it was seen by Smith, April 29th. 
A female in winter plumage, taken October 4th at Barr Lake by 
Warren, is preserved in the Colorado College Museum. 
Henshaw’s record of an example taken by himself at Denver, July 
24th, 1873, is obviously a mistake, as on that date, by his own account, 
he was far away in New Mexico, near Fort Wingate. 
Habits.—The Dowitcher (i.e. Deutscher or German Snipe) 
is found about marshes and lagoons. It is usually met 
with in small flocks, but in other respects is not unlike 
the Snipe, except that it has slightly webbed toes and 
swims well. 
Genus MICROPALAMA. 
Bill long and slender, slightly widened at the tip; ear-opening 
normal, behind the eye; wings long and pointed; tail doubly 
emarginate ; toes distinctly webbed basally ; resembling Macrorhamphus 
generally, but distinguished by its plain, unbarred tail, and the position 
of the ear-opening. 
Only one species is known. 
Stilt Sandpiper. Micropalama himantopus. 
A.0.U. Checklist no 233—Colorado Records—Thorne 87, p. 264; 
Morrison 89, p. 167 ; Osburn 93, p. 212; H. G. Smith 96, p. 65; Cooke, 
97, pp. 19, 65, 199; Henderson 03, p. 234; 09, p. 227; Hersey & 
Rockwell 09, p. 115. 
Description. Female in summer—Above mottled black, dusky, 
tawny and white; the primaries and most of the coverts plain dusky ; 
the upper tail-coverts white, spotted with dusky; tail ashy-grey, 
edged and centred with white; ear-coverts chestnut; below white, 
streaked anteriorly, barred posteriorly, with dusky and tawny ; iris 
brown, bill and feet dusky greenish. Length 8-5; wing 5-4; tail 2.0; 
culmen, 1-65; tarsus 1-70. 
In winter the adults are ashy-grey above without black or tawny, 
but with white edges to the feathers ; under-parts and a line over the 
eye white, slightly suffused with dusky and finely streaked with 
darker on the throat and breast. The male is slightly smaller—wing 
5-0; bill 1-5. 
