9 



78 



and upper throat nearly white ; lower throat and upper breast streaked with dull blackish and washed 

 with greyish brown ; rest of the underparts white, the flanks slightly marked with greyish brown. 



Young {fide Ridgway). Resembles the adult in winter plumage, but the light markings on the upper parts 

 are more or less tinged with pale brown or dull ochraeeous. 



The Yellowshanks is another inhabitant of America which has found its way across the Atlantic, 

 and has therefore to be included as a rare straggler, having been recorded from Greenland 

 and having occurred at least twice in Great Britain: once near Misson, in Nottinghamshire, 

 this specimen being now in the Leeds Museum, having formed part of the collection of the 

 late Sir William Milner, who purchased it from the late Hugh Reid, a well-known bird-stuffer 

 at Doncaster. The second specimen was shot by Mr. E. Vingoe on a salt-marsh near Marazion in 

 Cornwall, on the 12th September, 1871. This species does not appear to have been met with on 

 the continent of Europe, but it has occurred in Greenland. Mr. Moschler states (J. f. O. 1856, 

 p. S35) that it was sent to him from there in 1854 ; and in 1867 1 received, together with a lot 

 of eggs, a few badly made, unlabelled, skins from Greenland, through Kammerraad Erichsen, 

 among which was one of the present species, and Mr. Erichsen informed me that all the 

 specimens were obtained by his collector near Egedesminde in North Greenland. 



In America the present species is widely distributed, as it is found from Alaska and the 

 Hudson Bay territory (where it breeds) down to Patagonia, where it has been obtained in the 

 winter. Sir John Richardson (Faun. Bor.-Am. p. 390) speaks of it as being " a very common 

 bird in the fur countries." Capt. Blakiston obtained it near Carlton, Mr. Murray records it 

 from Hudson's Bay, and Mr. Boss as abundant on the Mackenzie (Ibis, 1863, p. 133). In 

 Alaska, according to Mr. Turner (Nat. Hist. Alaska, p. 148), " it is only a straggler at Saint 

 Michael's, and was seen only on two occasions on the beach in the early part of June. I obtained 

 a specimen at Eort Yukon, where it is not common. On some parts of the Yukon River it is 

 said to be common, but not so according to my observation. 



"I saw a specimen of this Snipe at Nuchagak on Bristol Bay in the month of June 1878. 

 It was running along the muddy edge of the river. I had only time to identify it as it flew, and 

 that only before I got within distance to shoot it. 



" It does not occur on the Aleutian Islands that I am aware of." 



Mr. Nelson (Cruise of ' Corwin,' p. 89) speaks of it as being a rare accidental visitant to the 

 coast of Bering Sea in Alaska, and writes (Nat. Hist. Alaska, p. 118) as follows: — "During the 

 exploration of the Western Union Telegraph Expedition, specimens of the small Yellow-legs 

 were taken at Sitka and Kadiak Island, on the south-eastern shore of the territory, and at Fort 

 Yukon. Mr. Lockhart secured its eo-QS. Hartlaub records it in small flocks on Chilcat River. 

 Dale found it in Nulato and the Yukon Mouth; and the middle of August, 1878, 1 shot a bird of 

 the year at Saint Michael's as it was feeding on the border of a brackish pool. The natives were 

 familiar with the bird, but told me it occurred only rarely. 



" In the Upper Yukon Region, however, it is more or less common, and among the skins 

 brought me by the fur-traders is a female taken May 3rd, at Fort Reliance, and another secured 

 on the 7th of the same month. On the Lower Yukon it is not common, and is very rare along 

 the shore of Bering Sea. 



