snipe. 243 



56.— CAURALE SNIPE. 



Ardea Helias, hid. Orn. ii. 725. Gm. Lin. i. 040. Pall. TV. Nord. Bet/tr. ii. 48. t. 3. 



Scolopax Helias, Nat. Misc. pi. 745. 



Caurale, ou petit Paon des roses, Buf. viii. 169. pi. 14. PI. enl. 782. 



Eurypyga, Curale, Tern. Man. Anal. p. cv. 



Caurale Snipe, Gen. Syn. v. 15G. 



THIS beautiful Species is about the size of a Whimbrel, and 

 fifteen inches long - . Bill nearly two inches, yellowish green, and 

 bends a trifle downwards; the head and sides below the eyes black, 

 over the eye a streak of white; the black bounded beneath by white, 

 passing from the chin and the throat, to the hindhead; in the middle 

 of this white, on each side, in the direction of the jaw, a black, 

 narrow line ; neck and breast rufous, crossed with fine black lines ; 

 back more inclined to grey, barred with black ; scapulars grey, 

 banded with white ; wings cream-colour, mottled with black near 

 the shoulder, and beautifully banded with rufous red; in the middle, 

 at some distance from the end of the quills, in both places, accom- 

 panied with black ; tail grey, mottled and crossed with black, 

 interrupted bands ; and near the end a broad black bar, bounded 

 above and below with rufous red ; belly, thighs, and vent white, legs 

 yellow, and rather short for the size of the bird ; the thighs bare for 

 three-fourths of the length. 



Inhabits the interior of Guiana, but is not common ; it frequents 

 the sides of rivers, is solitary, and known by a plaintive kind of 

 whistle, which the natives imitate, in order to decoy the bird within 

 reach; it is called at Guiana, Paon des roses : a specimen, which 

 came under my inspection, had a label affixed, with the name of 

 Le Paid. It is probable that the male is more bright in colour than 

 the female : a fine and brilliant specimen was in the Leverian Mu- 

 seum, and we have seen three or four others, in which the colours 

 were more dull, and which most likely were females, or young birds. 

 M. Temminck considers this as not belonging to the Snipe family ; 

 and has therefore formed of it a distinct Genus. 



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