100 SCOLOPACINiE. MACRORHAMPHUS. 
moderate length ; head small, oblong, convex above, nar- 
rowed in front. Bill more than twice the length of the 
head, straight, slender, compressed for more than half its 
length, depressed, and a little widened toward the end ; 
the sides of both mandibles grooved, their terminal third 
scrobiculate, the tips hard, narrowly obtuse, that of the lower 
shorter. Mouth very narrow, its roof with three longitudi- 
nal series of papillae ; tongue very long, slender, channelled 
above, tapering to a point ; oesophagus rather narrow ; sto- 
mach an oblong muscular gizzard ; intestine of moderate 
length and width ; coeca moderate, cylindrical, narrowed at the 
commencement. Nostrils small, linear, lateral, basal. Eyes 
small ; eyelids feathered. Aperture of ear rather large. 
Legs of moderate length, slender ; tibia bare for nearly a 
third ; tarsus compressed, scutellate before and behind ; first 
toe very small, slender ; anterior toes of moderate length, 
slender, scutellate, webbed at the base, the outer web large ; 
claws small, slightly arched, slender, compressed, acute. 
Plumage firm, but blended ; wings long, narrow, pointed ; 
the first primary longest, the rest rapidly graduated ; inner i 
secondaries very long ; tail rather short, nearly even, of 
twelve rounded feathers. 
The only species of this genus differs from the Scolopaces 
in having the toes shorter and webbed at the base, in fre- 
quenting the open sea-shore, and in changing its plumage j 
from grey in winter to red in summer. It thus forms the 
transition from the Scolopacinae to the Godwits and Sand- 
pipers. i 
203. Macrorhamphus griseus. Grey Longbeak. 
About the size of our Common Snipe ; with the bill more 1 
than twice the length of the head ; the tail nearly even ; the 
outer and middle toes connected by a rather large basal web. 
In winter, the plumage of the upper part of the head and 
hind-neck brownish-grey ; the fore part of the back of the f 
same colour, spotted with dusky ; the rump and tail white, 
transversely barred with blackish-brown ; the lower parts 
white, the sides and lower tail-coverts barred with dusky. 
In summer, the upper parts variegated with brownish-black 
and light reddish-yellow ; the lower light yellowish-red, more 
or less spotted and barred with dusky. 
