grallatores. 381 



DESCRIPTION 



Of a specimen killed at Hudson's Bay, lat. 57°, July 29, 1822. 



Colour. — Top of the head, dorsal plumage, and lesser wing-coverts black edged with 

 reddish-brown and brownish-white. Neck, grey. Quills and central tail-feathers, clove- 

 brown ; lateral tail-feathers, light hair-brown ; shafts of the primaries, edges of the second- 

 aries, and of the lateral tail-feathers, and stripes on the shafts of the latter, whitish. Tail- 

 coverts, greyish-white, with a few brown spots. Breast, brownish-grey ; belly, brownish- 

 white. Inner wing coverts, smoke-grey and white. Bill blackish ; Legs wax-yellow. 



Form. — Bill much compressed at the base ; its ridge rounded for two-thirds of its length, 

 when it is depressed or flattened, its width being slightly increased close to the point. 

 Nasal grooves two-thirds of the length of the bill. The ends of both mandibles, when recent, 

 are closely studded with minute, smooth, soft, flattened tubercles, like polished shagreen. 

 Central tail feathers exceeding the others a little in length. Lateral toes equal. Middle 

 toe connected to the lateral ones by webs which include its first phalanx ; little difference 

 in the size of the outer and inner webs. 



Dimensions. 



Inch. Lin. Inch. Lin. Inch. Lin. 



Length, total ..96 Length of hind toe and nail 4 Length of thigh, tarsus, and 



„ of bill . .1 8 Extent of wing 17 toes* ... 5 6 



[149.] 3. Tringa semipalmata. (Wilson.) Semipalmated Sandpiper. 



Genus, Tringa, Briss. 



Semipalmated Sandpiper (Tringa semipalmata), Wilson, vii., p. 131, pi. 63, f. 4. 



Tringa semipalmata. Bonap. Syn., No. 246. 



Chaekis-coo-awscesh, Cree Indians. 



This bird was first published to the world by Wilson ; but in Mr. Hutchins's 

 MSS. I find an accurate description of it, written about the year 1770. He 

 says, it arrives at Severn river about the middle of May in large flocks, builds 

 a nest early in June of withered grass, and lays four or five black and white 

 spotted eggs. Towards the autumn it has a chirruping note, and in September 

 it retires to the southward. 



DESCRIPTION 



From Mr. Hutchins's MSS. 



" Forehead, a streak over the eyes, and the sides of the neck grey ; ears russet coloured ; 

 lores dusky. Top of the head and scapulars black, with pale edges and tips ; back of the 

 neck iron-grey ; rump and tail coverts black. Wings dark-brown, the greater coverts tipped 

 with white, and some of the quills edged externally with the same. Middle tail feathers 



* These parts in TV. Douglasii measure fully an inch less. 



