242 
On some of the Scolopcicidce of Nepal. [^ U0, 
superior to the first : none of the great quills are at all hardened or pointed ; nor 
do they greatly exceed in length the central feathers of the wing. The last 
flags and first quills are equal — and, so far, the wings of this species agree with 
those of the snipe, whilst they differ from those of the woodcock. But in their 
fulness, or considerable and uniform breadth, they are more analogous to the 
woodcock’s wings. As I have already hinted, the Rhynchaa’s wings exactly 
resemble those of this species of snipe, which, like the Rhynchaa, has a compara- 
tively soft, straight, and feeble flight. As the bird last described has a general 
resemblance, in point of colour, to the common snipe, with the particular differ- 
ence of being paler ; so this bird bears the same general resemblance to the ordi- 
nary type of the genus, with the particular difference of being much darker. 
I should characterize the species thus — large, dark, solitary snipe, with short, 
soft, rounded wings, and belly entirely barred. Top of the head jet black, con- 
fined and divided in the fashion of the preceding, with rufous yellow : dorsal sur- 
face of the neck, also, jet black, with more or less frequent rufescent yellow 
marks, disposed lengthwise : top of the back, full black, almost always immacu- 
late, and margined, in the manner of the three preceding, with pale rufous yel- 
low, often smeared with bluish : scapulars, the same, save that one or two of t ie 
longest are variegated, with one or more transverse zigzags of pale rufous yellow, 
besides being tipped with the same colour : all the flags near the body and falhn 3 
into or approaching the line of the scapulars, black, adorned with large and 
frequent transverse zigzags, bars, or cuneiform marks, of rulo-flavescent gray, 
(often tinged with bluish,) occupying as much space as the ground colour ; and all 
these plumes tipped, likewise, with the colour constituting the bars and marks, 
most of the external wing-coverts, the same : small coverts at the angle of the 
wings, long coverts of the primaries, (which, however, as well as the bastard 
wing, are concealed, except when the wings are expanded,) and bastard wings, 
dusky-black, faintly fringed or tipped with impure whitish : quills, dark dusky, 
scarcely tipped with whitish : lower back and superior tail- coverts, dull reddish 
and dusky, in numerous, equal, transverse bars — the latter part more dull and 
indistinctly coloured than the former : tail feathers with the centrals towards the 
base, jet black ; towards the tip, deep chesnut banded, as usual ; and the tips 
themselves paled — with the laterals, gradually losing their colours, till in the 
extremes, the black basal portion becomes dusky, and the terminal red part, sooty 
white, which is crossed by one or two dusky bars : lateral and pectoral surfaces 
of the neck, blue smeared buff, and black or blackish ; proportioned and disposed 
as in both solitary and common snipe : chin, rufescent white : breast, blue-smear- 
ed buff, barred obscurely with blackish transverse zigzags : rest of the body, 
below to the vent, whitish, with numerous dusky bars, as in the woodcock . 
thighs, the same : internal tail-coverts, with the ground rufescent, and the marks 
black : internal wing-coverts, alternately crossed with dusky-black and whitish, 
the former colour being the ground, or prevalent hue : iris, dusky : legs, clear 
plumbeous, or plumbeous faint-white : bill, a pretty full brown, usually tinged 
with cold blue, and paled below at the base, as usual. The male (judging by 
circumstances) is rather smaller and darker than the female. The following are 
the sizes and dimensions of the four birds described in this paper, and I take the 
liberty to recommend particular attention being fixed on them. 
