Part 123

Red-breasted Snipe, Scolopax noveboracensis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 285.

GENUS VII. MICROPTERA, Nutt. BOGSUCKER.

Bill double the length of the head, straight, slender, tapering, subtrigonal, and deeper than broad at the base, slightly depressed towards the end; upper mandible with the ridge narrow, towards the end flattened, the sides with a narrow groove extending to near the tip, the tip blunt, knob-like, and longer than that of the lower. Head rather large, oblong; eyes large, and placed high; neck short; body full. Feet rather short; tibia feathered to the joint; tarsus rather short, compressed, scutellate; first toe very small, the third much longer than the tarsus. Claws very small, arched, acute. Wings short, rounded, the fourth and fifth quills longest, the first three extraordinarily attenuated. Tail very short, cuneate, of twelve feathers.

354. 1. Microptera Americana, Aud. Common Bogsucker.--American Woodcock.

Plate CCLXVIII. Male, Female, and Young.

Bill and feet flesh-coloured; forehead yellowish-grey, with a few dark mottlings in the centre; on the upper part of the head two broad blackish-brown transverse bands, and on the occiput two narrower, separated by bands of light red; a brownish-black loral band, and a narrow irregular line of the same across the cheek, and continued to the occiput; upper parts variegated with brownish-black, light yellowish-red, and ash-grey; inner wing-coverts and secondary quills similarly barred, the outer pale greyish-red, faintly barred with dusky; quills brown, tipped with dull grey, secondaries spotted on the outer web with dull red; upper tail-coverts barred; tail-feathers brownish-black, their tips grey, their outer edges mottled with reddish; sides of the neck grey, tinged with red; lower part in general light red, tinged with grey on the breast, on the sides and lower wing-coverts deeper; lower tail-coverts with a central dusky line, the tip white. Young with a longitudinal black band on the head.

Male, 11, 16. Female, 11-7/12, 17-1/4.

Distributed throughout the country. Extremely abundant in the Middle and Eastern Districts, as well as in the interior, where it breeds, as far as Nova Scotia. Equally abundant in winter in the Southern States, though many migrate southward.

Scolopax minor, Gmel. Syst. Nat. v. i. p. 661.

Woodcock, Scolopax minor, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vi. p. 40.

Scolopax minor, Bonap. Syn. p. 331.

Lesser Woodcock, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 194.

American Woodcock, Scolopax minor, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 474.

GENUS VIII. RECURVIROSTRA, Linn. AVOCET.

Bill twice the length of the head, very slender, much depressed, tapering to a point, and slightly recurved; upper mandible with the dorsal line straight for half its length, then a little curved upwards, and at the tip slightly decurved, the ridge broad and flattened, the edges rather thick; nasal groove rather long and very narrow; lower mandible with the angle long and very narrow, the dorsal line slightly curved upwards, the point very slender, extremely thin, and a little curved upwards. Nostrils linear, basal. Head small, rounded above, rather compressed; neck long; body compact. Legs very long, slender; tibia bare for half its length, and reticulated; tarsus very long, compressed, reticulated with hexagonal scales; toes rather short, the first extremely small; outer toe a little longer than inner; anterior toes connected by webs of which the anterior margin is deeply concave. Claws very small, compressed, rather acute. Plumage soft and blended. Wings long, pointed, the first quill longest; inner secondaries elongated and tapering. Tail short, even, of twelve rather narrow rounded feathers. Tongue short in proportion to the length of the bill, slender, tapering to a point; œsophagus wide, considerably dilated at the lower part of the neck; stomach an oblong gizzard of moderate strength, its epithelium hard, longitudinally rugous; intestine long and of moderate width; cœca rather long.

355. 1. Recurvirostra Americana, Linn. American Avocet.

Plate CCCXVIII. Adult, and Young in winter.

Bill black; feet light blue; head, neck, and fore part of breast reddish-buff, the parts around the base of the bill and the eye nearly white; back white, with a longitudinal band of brownish-black elongated feathers on each side; inner scapulars of the same colour, the outer and interior edge of the wing being white; wing brownish-black, with a broad band of white, formed by the tips of the secondary coverts, four of the inner secondaries, and the basal part, with the inner webs and outer edges of the rest; lower parts white.

Male, 18, 30-5/8.

Passes along the coast from Texas northward, in small numbers, a few breeding in New Jersey. Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Abundant in the Rocky Mountains, and the Fur Countries. Migratory.

American Avocet, Recurvirostra Americana, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 126.

Recurvirostra Americana, Bonap. Syn. p. 394.

Recurvirostra Americana, American Avocet, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 375.

American Avocet, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 74.

American Avocet, Recurvirostra Americana, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 168.

GENUS IX. HIMANTOPUS, Briss. STILT.

Bill about twice as long as the head, very slender, roundish, tapering, slightly recurved; upper mandible with its outline slightly curved upwards, the ridge rather flattened, the sides convex, the edges inflected, the tip narrow and rather acute; nasal groove nearly half the length of the bill; lower mandible with the angle very long and narrow, the sides grooved as far as the angle. Nostrils linear, direct, subbasal. Head small, ovate, rounded above; neck very long and slender; body rather compact. Legs extremely elongated, slender; tibia bare for more than half its length, covered anteriorly with large curved scutella; tarsus very long, moderately compressed, scutellate before, reticulate on the sides; toes of moderate length, slender; first toe wanting; outer a little longer than inner, anterior toes webbed at the base. Claws small, nearly straight, moderately compressed. Plumage ordinary. Wings very long, of moderate breadth, acute, the first quill longest. Tail short, even, of twelve feathers.

356. 1. Himantopus nigricollis, Vieill. Black-necked Stilt.--Lawyer.