238 snipe. 



Inhabits India; is the Coddy Cocha of the Bengalese ; Gotera of 

 the Mussulmans ; the name is generical, and implies any bird that 

 searches for its food in the mud. — Dr. Buchanan. 



50— DUSKY SNIPE. 



Scolopax fusca, Ind. Orn. ii. 724. Lin. i. 243. Gin. Lin. i. 657. Fn. Hclo. Friscli, 



t. 236. Sepp, m. t. p. 257. Tern. Man. 414. Id. Ed. 2d. p. 642. 

 Limosa fusca, Bris, v. 276. t. 33. f. 2. Id. Svo. ii. 280. Gerin. iv. t. 460. 

 La Barge biune, Buf. vii. 508. PL enl, 875. 

 Dunkelbraunen Schnepfe, Bechst. Dents, iii. 189. 

 Dusky Snipe, Gen. Syn. v. 155. Arct. Zool. ii. 471. C. Id. Sup. 68. 



LENGTH almost twelve inches. Bill black, more than two 

 inches, a little bent downwards at the point, base beneath pale ; 

 plumage on the upper part of the body dusky black, the edges of 

 the feathers whitish ; crown darkest, and plain ; scapulars, and 

 lesser wing coverts, marked with whitish spots on the margins ; lower 

 part of the back and rump white ; cheeks, throat, and fore part of 

 the neck, deep ash-colour ; from thence to the vent the same, but 

 growing lighter, as it approaches the last, and here and there mixed 

 and edged with white ; quills brown, palest within, and spotted 

 with grey on the outer margin, and some of the secondaries on both 

 webs; the two middle tail feathers dusky brown, with transverse 

 whitish streaks; the others brown, crossed in the same manner with 

 white ; legs brown. — This breeds within the Arctic Circle, and mi- 

 grates into Russia and Siberia. 



A. — A bird, appearing to be a Variety of this, inhabits India ; 

 the plumage much the same, but the feathers seem more spotted on 

 each side of the shafts with white. The bill ash-colour, base of the 

 lower mandible red ; legs brown above the knee, the rest of the 

 length dull brownish red. 



This is called in India Beach Snipe, or Calla Chaha. — Sir John 

 Anstruther. 



