SCOLOPACIDJE — THE SNIPE FAMILY — ARQUATELLA. 
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fied strut, raises its wings over its back, and then slowly folds them. The bird is 
crepuscular in its habits, which in some respects appear to be different from those of 
most of its family. It is found almost exclusively on rocky shores of the sea, and 
shuns sandy beaches. It is seldom known to occur far inland. It is a very unsus- 
picious bird, and when intent on its food seems to be almost entirely regardless 
of the near presence of man. Its flight is rapid, and can be long sustained in its 
migrations. This bird is known to hunters as the c ‘ Rock Snipe.” An egg of this 
species from Greenland has a ground of a drab color tinged with olivaceous. The 
egg is pyriform in shape, but is more oval than that of Arquatella ptilocnemis, which 
in some respects it closely resembles. The egg is marked with blotches of sepia- 
brown, and these are more or less diffused over the entire surface. The eggs in 
my cabinet — one from Greenland, and others from different localities — average 1.46 
inches in length, by 1.10 in their greatest breadth. In some the olivaceous tinge of 
the ground is much deeper than in others. The spots vary in tlieir number, size, 
and distribution, in some the smaller end being nearly unspotted. 
Arquatella Couesi. 
THE ALEUTIAN SANDPIPER. 
? Tringct arquatella, (part) Pall. Zoog. Rosso- As. II. 1821, 190 (spec, ex Ins Curiliea). 
Tringa maritima Brunn.” Dall & Bann. Tr. Chicago Acad. I. 1869, 291 (St. Michael’s, Alaska). — 
Finsch, Abli. Nat. III. 1872, 65 (Alaska). 
Tringa ( Pclidna ) amcricana, Dall. Pr. Cal. Acad. Sci. Feb. 1873 (Aleutians). 
Arquatella Couesi, Ridgw. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, V. July, 1880, 160 (Aleutian Islands) ; Nom. N. 
Am. B. 1881, no. 531. — Coues, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, no. 621. 
Sp. Char. Similar to A. maritima, Brunn., but averaging slightly smaller, and the plumage 
appreciably different at all ages and seasons. Adult breeding-clress : Above, fuliginous-slate, the 
feathers of the. pileum broadly edged, those of the dorsal region (including the scapulars) widely 
bordered, with rusty ochraceous or bright cinnamon (a few of the scapulars and interscapulars 
tipped with white in some specimens), the central area of each feather nearly black, or much darker 
than the wings and rump ; lesser wing-coverts slightly, and middle coverts broadly, bordered 
terminally with white ; greater coverts widely tipped with white, forming a conspicuous bar across 
the wing ; three or four of the inner secondaries chiefly white, the others, also the inner primaries, 
narrowly skirted and tipped with white. Rump, upper tail-coverts, and middle tail-feathers, 
uniform fuliginous-dusky, the remaining rectrices paler, or dull cinereous. A conspicuous whitish 
superciliary stripe, extending back to the nape, and confluent with the dull whitish of the under 
side of the head, thus posteriorly bounding a large sooty-brown auricular area ; anterior portion of 
the lores, with the forehead, dull smoky grayish ; neck, jugulum, and breast, dirty whitish (some- 
times soiled with dingy buff), and clouded or spotted with dull slate, sooty plumbeous, or dusky 
black, this sometimes forming a large patch on each side of the breast ; remaining lower parts pure 
white, the sides with chain-like series of brownish slaty spots mixed with streaks, the crissum 
streaked with dusky ; lining of the wing pure white, the border brownish gray Bill, legs, and 
feet brownish black in the dried skin ; iris brown. In fresh specimens, “ feet, legs, and base of bill 
dark greenish yellow; terminal two thirds of bill black, or very dark brown” (Nelson, MS.). 
Winter plumage : Above, soft smoky plumbeous, the scapulars and interscapulars glossy purplish 
dusky centrally, the plumbeous borders to the feathers causing a squamate appearance ; head and 
neck uniform plumbeous, except the throat and a supraloral patch, which are streaked whitish ; 
jugulum squamated with white, the breast similarly but more broadly marked. Wings, etc., as in 
summer. Young, first plumage : Scapulars a.nd interscapulars black, broadly bordered with bright 
rusty and buffy white, the latter chiefly on the longer and outer scapulars and posterior part of the 
back ; wing-coverts broadly bordered with buffy white ; pileum streaked black and ochraceous ; 
jugulum and breast pale buff, or buffy white, streaked with dusky. Dovmy young : Above, bright 
