THE GREENSHANK TATLER. 323 



interval of several miles. In other parts of Scotland they are seen chiefly 

 in autumn, but are of rare occurrence." 



It is curious how nearly by this account the habits of the Greenshank 

 correspond with those of the Tell-tale Godwit, Totanus vociferus. 



Scolopax Glottis, Linn. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 245. 



Greenshank, Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 68. 



Greenshank, Totanus glottis. Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iii. p. 483. 



Male, 11, wing, 7. 



Only three procured on Sand Key, Florida. 



Male in summer. 



Bill long, slender, compressed, tapering, slightly recurved. Upper man- 

 dible with the dorsal line very slightly curved upwards, the ridge convex, 

 the sides grooved nearly to the middle, afterwards convex, the edges inflected 

 and directly meeting those of the lower mandible, the tip narrowed and 

 slightly deflected. Nostrils basal, linear, pervious, nearer the edge than the 

 dorsal line. Lower mandible with the angle very narrow and medial, 

 beyond it the outline straight and ascending, the sides grooved as far as the 

 angle and convex, the edges sharp and inflected, the point very narrow. 



Head small, oblong, narrowed before. Neck rather long, slender. Body 

 slender. Feet long and slender; tibia bare for half its length, scutellate 

 before and behind; tarsus long, slender, covered before and behind with 

 numerous scutella, the narrow lateral spaces with extremely small oblong 

 scales. Toes small, very slender, scutellate above, flat beneath, marginate, 

 the middle toe connected with the outer by a basal membrane, with the 

 inner by an extremely small one; first toe extremely small, second slightly 

 shorter than fourth, third considerably longer. Claws small, compressed, 

 arched, rather obtuse, that of third toe with a dilated inner edge. 



Plumage soft and blended, on the fore part of the head very short, on the 

 neck short and almost downy. Wings rather long, very acute, narrow; 

 primaries tapering and rounded, the first longest, the second little shorter, 

 the rest rapidly graduated; secondaries obliquely rounded, the inner elon- 

 gated and tapering. Tail short, of twelve narrow, rounded feathers, the two 

 middle ones considerably longer than the rest. 



Bill dusky-green, black at the end. Iris brown. Feet dull greenish-grey. 

 A broad band from the bill to the eye, all the lower parts, as well as the 

 back, excepting a small portion anteriorly, pure white; that colour, however, 

 does not appear on the back, when the wings are closed, it being covered 

 over by the scapulars. Loral space white, marked with small oblong spots 

 of greyish-brown; sides of the lower part of fore-neck and a portion of the 



