328 THE SEMIPALMATED SNIPE, OR WILLET. 



wards convex, the edges broad and flattened, the breadth of the mandible a 

 little increased towards the point, which is narrowed, slightly deflected and 

 obtuse. Nostrils sub-basal, linear, pervious, nearer the edge than the dorsal 

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

 the outline slightly ascending and straight, sides grooved as far as the angle, 

 and convex, the edges broad and flat, the point narrow and slightly incurved. 



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

 slender. Feet long and slender; tibia bare for nearly half its length, scutel- 

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

 numerous scutella, the narrow lateral spaces with extremely small oblong 

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

 anterior toes connected by basal membranes which extend along their sides, 

 the outer membrane larger than the inner; first toe extremely small, second 

 and fourth about equal, third little longer. Claws small, compressed, slightly 

 arched, 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 very soft. Wings long, very acute, narrow; primaries taper- 

 ing and rounded, the first longest, the second little shorter, the rest rapidly 

 graduated; secondaries obliquely rounded, the inner elongated and tapering. 

 Tail short, of twelve narrow, rounded feathers, the two middle ones a little 

 longer than the rest. 



Bill light blue, dusky towards the end. Iris brown. Feet light blue; 

 claws black. Head and neck brownish-grey, streaked with blackish-brown; 

 the throat, and a band from the bill over the eye, white. Fore part of back 

 and scapulars brownish-grey, variegated with central markings and bars of 

 blackish-brown; the hind part of the back brownish-grey, with a gloss of 

 olive. Wing-coverts grey, with central lines of brownish-black; primary 

 coverts and primary quills brownish-black, but the latter white in their basal 

 half; outer secondaries white, inner like the scapulars. Lower wing-coverts 

 dusky; breast and sides white, the latter undulatingly barred with brownish- 

 black; abdomen and lower and upper tail-coverts white, some of them, how- 

 ever, with a few dusky bars. The four middle tail-feathers are barred with 

 brownish-black and brownish-grey, the rest pale grey fading to white on the 

 outer, and all more or less minutely mottled with pale brown. 



Length to end of tail 15i inches, to end of wings 15, to end of claws 17^; 

 extent of wings 27f ; wing from flexure Si; tail 3 T 2 5 ; bill along the back 2\\ 

 along the edge of lower mandible 2 T \; tarsus 2i; middle toe 1 T 5 2, its claw i. 

 Weight 7 oz. 



Adult Female in winter. 



In winter the upper parts are light brownish-grey, the fore part of the 

 neck and the sides of the same colour but paler; the throat, breast, abdomen, 



