THE HUDSONIAN GODWIT. 337 



small, compressed, slightly arched, obtuse, that of middle toe with the inner 

 edge curved outwards and thin. 



Plumage soft on the head, neck and lower parts blended, on the hack 

 imbricated; all the feathers oblong and rounded. Wings long, very acute, 

 narrow; primaries tapering, the first longest, the second little shorter, the 

 rest rapidly graduated; secondaries incurved, obliquely rounded, with a 

 recurved tip, the inner elongated and tapering. Tail short, of twelve 

 rounded feathers, slightly forked, but with the two middle feathers a little 

 longer than those next them. 



Bill greyish-yellow, dark brown along the ridge of the upper mandible, 

 and blackish towards the tips of both. Iris brown. Feet light greyish-blue. 

 The head and neck brownish-grey, with darker lines; a band from the bill 

 over the eye, and the throat greyish-white; the back deep grey; the 

 scapulars brownish-black, with small white markings on the edges of the 

 feathers; the smaller wing-coverts, alula, primary quills and their coverts 

 brownish-black; the secondaries lighter, and with their inner webs pale grey; 

 tips of the primary coverts and bases of the quills, white, as is a broad 

 band over the rump. Tail feathers and upper tail-coverts brownish-black, 

 their bases white, and their tips narrowly edged with brownish-white. The 

 lower parts are bright yellowish-red, the sides mottled with dark brown; the 

 abdomen and lower tail-coverts paler and variegated with dusky; the lower 

 wing-coverts blackish-brown, edged with whitish. 



Length to end of tail 15f inches, to end of wings 16f, to end of claws 

 19f; wing from flexure 8 J; tail 3i; extent of wings 28; bill along the back 

 3^; along the edge of lower mandible 3^; bare part of tibia H; tarsus 2 A; 

 middle toe 1^-, its claw ff. Weight 9 oz. 



Young; Female in winter. 



The bill, iris and feet, as in the adult male. Upper part of the head 

 dusky, with darker lines; sides of the head, and the neck, greyish-yellow; 

 a whitish band over the eye. The lower parts are pale brownish-grey, the 

 upper brownish-grey; the fore part of the back and scapulars brownish-black, 

 the feathers edged with light brownish-red; the wing-coverts brownish-grey; 

 the quills as in the adult, as is the tail, anterior to which is also a broad 

 white band. 



In September 1835, I shot, near Edinburgh, a young individual of 

 Limosa rufa, which I had previously observed for some time. It thrust its . 

 bill into the wet sand in the same manner as the Woodcock; and I was 

 much surprised, on taking it up, to see that its bill was perfectly straight in 

 its whole length. When I opened it, however, in order to place a little 

 cotton in its throat, a sudden spring-like movement of the mandibles made 



