SCOLOPACIDJE — THE SNIPE FAMILY — EURYNORHYNCHUS. 
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Hab. In summer, Eastern Siberia, especially along Arctic coast ; accidental on shores of Alaska 
north of Behring’s Straits ; in winter, “ mouths of the Ganges and east coast of Bay of Bengal,” and 
other portions of Southeastern Asia (Harting). 
Sp. Char. “ Description ( adult in winter ) : Bill black, longer than the head, flat, dilated con- 
siderably at the extremity in a rhomboidal shape. Tongue broad and smooth. Forehead, cheeks, 
throat, and under parts pure white ; crown, nape and sides of neck, back, wings, and upper tail- 
coverts dusky brown, each feather margined more or less with pale gray. Wings long and 
pointed ; shafts of the primaries white ; first (pull-feather the longest. Tail short, rounded, con- 
sisting of twelve feathers, the two middle feathers the longest and darkest in color. Legs and toes 
black, moderately long, slender, three toes in front, one behind, margined along the sides ; a slight 
membrane connecting the base of the middle and outer toe on each foot. Total length 6.00 inches ; 
bill, 1.00 ; wing, from carpus, 3.70; tarsus, .90. (Exempl. typ. in Mus. Upsal .fide auett. citt.). 
“■Adult in summer (hitherto undescribed) : Bill as above. Head, neck, breast, and back ferru- 
ginous ; the feathers of the head, nape, and back with dark-brown centres ; those of the throat and 
breast slightly margined with white. Under parts, from the breast downward, becoming grad- 
ually whiter toward the tail. Primaries somewhat darker than in winter. Legs and toes black. 
(Exempl. in Mus. Acad. Oxon.).” — Harting, “Ibis,” 1869, p. 428. 
Young (No. 81434, U. S. Nat. Mus. Port Providence, Plover Bay, Siberia ; August ; Drs. 
Dall & Bean) : Scapulars and interscapulars black centrally, brownish gray beneath the sur- 
face, and broadly bordered terminally with soiled whitish, the anterior feathers, however, both of 
scapulars and in ter scapulars margined with rusty ; wing brownish gray, the feathers darker cen- 
trally, with shafts quite dusky ; greater coverts tipped with white, forming a distinct bar across 
the wing ; remiges dusky, the basal portion of secondaries and inner primaries white ; pileum dull 
light grayish, spotted with dull black, the feathers edged with dull rusty ; remainder of head, 
neck, and lower parts soiled white, clouded anteriorly with light grayish brown, but nearly pure 
white and cpiite immaculate posteriorly. Bill black ; legs and feet blackish brown. Wing, 3.35 ; 
culinen, .80 ; greatest breadth of maxilla, .45 ; tarsus, .80 ; middle toe, .60. 
The habits and geographical distribution of this very remarkable form are very far 
from being well understood, though the regions it visits during the breeding-season 
and in its migrations are a little better known. It was first referred to by Linnseus 
as having some supposed resemblance to the Spoonbill, and for nearly a century was 
only known from a unique example in the Museum of Upsala, which was said to 
have been procured from Surinam ; but this was evidently an error. It has since 
been referred to by Bancroft as a bird of Guiana ; but lie either followed Linnaeus or 
mistook for it some other species. Lesson gave as its habitat the Arctic Legion of 
both continents, but also stated that an example, shot near Paris, was in one of the 
museums of that city ; and Bonaparte gave it, in his “ Geographical List,” as a Euro- 
pean species. Neither of these statements is now credited, inasmuch as there is no 
evidence that any example of this species has been taken in Europe. 
Professor A. Newton, in an exhaustive paper (“ Ibis,” 1869, pp. 428-434), assigns 
to it a place among the Waders, between Ereunetes petrificatus and Tringa subarquata, 
and he has with great pains prepared a list of all the examples of the Spoon-billed 
Sandpiper known to have been taken. The locality of the type-example remains 
undiscovered. The known localities are Edmondstone’s Island, Saugur Sand, 1836 ; 
Arracan, in the same year ; Calcutta, 1840 ; mouth of the Ganges, 1840 ; Amherst in 
Tenasserim, 1 846 ; three taken in 1856 and twelve in 1859, in Chittagong ; and one, 
the only example known to have been secured in summer plumage, from Behring’s 
Straits. The last-named was taken by the expedition under Captain Moore, and 
is now in the new Museum of Oxford. Its supposed presence on both shores of 
Behring’s Straits in the breeding-season is the occasion of its being placed in the 
North American fauna, though Captain Moore’s example is given as having come 
from the northeast corner of Asia (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1859, p. 201). 
