GRALLATORES. 389 



[157.] 2. Totanus vociferus. (Sabine.) The Tell-tale. 



Genus, Totanus, Bechst. 



Scolopax totanus. Forst. Phil. Trans., lxii., p. 410, No. 39. 



Spotted Snipe. Penn. Arct. Zool, ii., p. 467, No. 374* 



Tell-tale Godwit or Snipe {Scolopax vociferus). Wils., vii., p. 57, pi. 58, f. 5. 



Totanus vociferus. Sab. Frankl. Journ., p. 687- 



Totanus melanoleucus. Bonap. Syn., No. 2C0. 



Sasashew. Cree Indians. 



This Tatler is larger than the Yellow-shanks, and has a much stronger bill ; 

 but very closely resembles it both in appearance and mannersf. It is very 

 plentiful on the Saskatchewan plains. According to Mr. Hutchins, ft it lays 

 four eggs, of a dark colour, spotted with black, which are large for the size of 

 the bird." 



DESCRIPTION 



Of the male, killed on the Saskatchewan, May, 1827- 



Colour. — Upper plumage dark liver-brown, bordered with greyish-white on the head, 

 neck, rump, and two upper rows of lesser wing coverts ; the fore part of the back, scapulars, 

 lesser quills,- intermediate and greater coverts, being marked with rather large marginal 

 whitish spots. Greater quills and their coverts blackish ; shaft of the first quill white. Tail 

 barred alternately with broccoli-brown and white, the former predominating on the middle 

 feathers, the white on the lateral ones. Upper and under tail coverts, sides of the rump, and 

 under plumage, white ; the neck streaked with liver-brown ; flanks, under wing and tail 

 coverts, barred with the same ; the bars on the latter nearly obsolete in some specimens. 

 Bill pitch-black. Legs wax-yellow. 



Form, in almost every respect, the same with that of Tot. flavipes, allowance being made 

 for its greater size. Nasal grooves not reaching half the length of the bill. Bill equal to the 



tarsus in length. 







Dimensions 

 Of the male 



Length, total 

 ,, of tail 

 „ of wing 



Inch. 



14 



4 



• 7 



Lin. 

 

 

 6 



Length of bill above 

 „ of bill to rictus 

 „ of tarsus 



Inch. Lin. Inch. Lin. 



2 2 Length of middle toe . 1 5 



.26 „ of its nail 2^ 



2 8 „ of hind toe . .0 4 



„ of its nail . .0 1 J 



* Wilson quotes the Stone Curlew, Penn., No. 376 {Scolopax melanoleuca, Gmel. and Lath.), as a synonyme of 

 the Tell-tale ; but the description in Arctic Zoology is too general for identification. On the other hand, the descrip- 

 tion of the Spotted Snipe in that work agrees with our T. vociferus ; and its locality and Indian name of Sasashew 

 are further proofs of the correctness of our reference. Temminck, indeed, is of a different opinion, and considers 

 Pennant's Spotted Snipe to be the young of his T. fuscus. No specimen of the latter bird, however, has, as far as our 

 knowledge extends, ever been found in the fur-countries ; nor does it enter into the Prince of Musignano's list of the 

 birds of the United States. 



■f They are styled the Greater and Lesser Tell-tales in the United States, and Greater and Lesser Yellow-shanks 

 by the Indians. 



