268 
PRiECOCIAL GRALLATORES — LIMICOL^E. 
Glottis natcms, Koch, Baier. Zool. I. 1816, 305 (nec Otto, 1797). 
Glottis Jloridanus, Bonap. Comp. List, 1838, 51. — Cass, in Baird’s B. N. Am. 1858, 730. — Baird, 
Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, no. 538. 
Tot, anus glottoidcs , Vig. P. Z. S. 1831, 173. 
Glottis nivigula, Hodgs. in Gray Zool. Misc. II. 1831, 36. 
Glottis Vigorsii, Gray. — G. Horsfieldi, Gray. — G. Linnei, Malm. 
Gveenshanlc, Yarr. Brit. B. ed. 2, II. 618, tig. ; ed.3, II. 665, fig. ; et Auct. 
Cinereous Godwit, Penn. Brit. Zool. II. 1813, 50, (il. 11. 
IIab. The Palsearctic Region, south to Australia; accidental in Eastern North America? 
(Florida, Audubon). 
Sp. Char. Adult in summer: Head and neck above, grayish white, widely streaked with 
dusky ; remainder of head and neck, with entire lower parts, pure white ; the lores, cheeks, malar 
region, auriculars, sides of neck and foreneck, finely streaked with dusky ; sides of the breast and 
anterior part of the sides, coarsely and irregularly streaked with dusky, the markings assuming an 
irregularly sagittate or Y-shaped form on the sides. Eyelids, a distinct and rather broad supra- 
loral stripe, chin, throat, abdomen, crissum, and flanks, immaculate white ; axillars white, irregu- 
larly marked toward ends with grayish; lining of wing white, with irregular sagittate markings of 
grayish dusky. Back and scapulars dusky blackish, the feathers edged with light ash-gray ; wing- 
coverts nearly uniform brownish slate, the tertials similar, but edged with paler ; primaries uniform 
dark slate ; entire rump and upper tail-coverts immaculate pure white, the longer feathers of the 
latter, however, narrowly zigzagged with dusky. Tail white, narrowly and incompletely barred 
with grayish dusky. Winter plumage : Similar, but nearly uniform grayish above, the feathers bor- 
dered with grayish white ; foreneck unstreaked. Young : 1 Above, light brownish gray, the feathers 
margined with paler, and with a sub-edging of dusky, in the form of an irregular dusky line near 
the edge and parallel with the border ; these markings changed on the tertials into short zigzag, 
oblique bars along the edge of both webs. Crown, nape, and lores streaked as in the adult : fore- 
neck, jugulum, and sides immaculate white. “ Bill dusky green, black at end ; iris brown ; feet 
dull greenish gray” (Audubon). 
Wing, 7.00-7.80 ; culmen, 2.15-2.20 ; tarsus, 2.25-2.65 ; middle toe, 1.12-1.30. 
The only known instance of the occurrence of this species in North America is 
recorded by Mr. Audubon, by whom three specimens were taken, May 28, 1832, on 
Sand Key, Florida, near Cape Sable. They were mistaken for Tell-tale Tattlers as 
they walked about on the bars or in the shallow water, and upon examination were 
presumed by Audubon to be the Common Greenshank of Europe. They were all 
males, and probably stragglers. In the “Pacific Railroad Report,” Vol. IX., owing 
to their inferiority in size, these individuals are given as a distinct species ; but it is 
not probable that this claim can be maintained, and we presume that the specimens 
noted must have been examples of the common European bird, especially as this bird 
is known to be a great wanderer, having been taken at Trebizond, in Mauritius, and 
in various parts of Asia, Java, Sunda, the Moluccas, etc. Montagu, in his “Ornitho- 
logical Dictionary,” mentions this species as occurring in North America, stating that 
one had been seen in the State of New York. 
The Greenshank is said not to be anywhere found in large numbers. It is a sum- 
mer visitant to the British Islands, and more frequent about the time of its spring 
and fall migrations ; a few remaining during the breeding-season, but the greater 
portion going farther north. These birds are found in the London market, most 
frequently about the last of April and in May. In Ireland they occur in autumn in 
small parties or singly. Mr. Selby detected this species breeding in Sutherlandshire, 
in June, 1834, in various parts of that county — generally in some swampy marsh, 
or by the margins of the small lakes common in that region. It was very wild and 
wary, except when it had tender young, at which time, when first disturbed, it would 
1 Described from Audubon’s specimen, supposed to have been obtained in Florida. 
