44 SC0L0PACID/E. 



and become nearly full-feathered in three weeks, when they 

 begin to flutter about and desert their parents. 



The length of the Woodcock is thirteen inches and three 

 quarters ; the beak measures two inches and three quarters ; 

 the tarsus one inch four lines and a half; the middle toe 

 one inch and eight lines ; the wing, from the carpus to 

 the tip, seven inches ten lines. 



The forehead and top of the head are ash-grey tinged 

 with burnt-sienna. The hinder part of the head and nape 

 have four broad, blackish- brown, transverse bars on a rufous 

 ground ; from the base of the beak to the eye extends a 

 brownish black mark. The chin is white. On the upper 

 part of the breast are two patches of rufous, which differ 

 in depth of colour in different specimens. The upper 

 parts of the bird are a mixture of brown, black, yellow, 

 and grey, with various markings and pencillings of black, 

 darkest on the back and scapulars. The rump and tail- 

 coverts are pale chestnut, some of the feathers of the coverts 

 are tipped with rufous-white, and transversely barred with 

 black. The tail is black with small brown spots ; the tips 

 of the feathers pearl-grey above, and white on the under 

 surface. The quills are dusky with bars of chestnut brown. 

 The adult male has the outer quill -feather only imperfectly 

 barred, the immature and female entirely so. All the under 

 parts are greyish- white tinged with yellow and rufous, and 

 transversely barred with hair-brown pencillings. 



Vent and under tail-coverts yellowish white with black 

 triangular central spots. Legs livid flesh-colour tinged with 

 grey ; the base of the bill the same, the centre clove-brown 

 and the tip dusky. The iris deep clove-brown. 

 The egg figured 190 is that of the Woodcock 



