History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

Scolopax. BIRDS. PRESSIROSTRES. 105Greenshank :approaches it nearly in colours ;but the hill was so much thicker,as to form a specificdistinction.'" Montagu adds (Suppl. Orn. " Diet.), Oneof these birds in the late unfortunate Leverian Museum was marked GreyGodwit. It appeared to be rather smaller than the Common Godwit, the billand legs rather shorter, and more slender ; the tail barred dusky and whitenearly to the base the rump : white, with a few spots: the back and scapularspale brown, with grey borders."It is not improbable' that the Black Sandpiper of Pennant (ii. 2C4.) is merelythe Greenshank in its winter dress.Gen. LXVIII. SCOLOPAX. Snipe.—Bill straight, soft,and swollen near the end, and in drying becomes like shagrin.Tip of the upper mandible enlarged beneath for thereception of the extremityof the lower.a. Tibia feathered even to the knee. Woodcocks.145. S. Rusticola. Woodcock.— Crown cinereous; nape withtransverse black bars.Will. Orn. 213. Sibb. Scot. 18. Linn. Syst.i. 243. Penn. Brit. ZooLii. 433. Temm. Orn. ii. G73 W, Cyfi'ylog; G, Coilleach coille—Aregular winter visitant.Length 14, breadth 20 inches; 12 ounces. Bill 3 inches long, livid, dark atthe tip. Legs livid. Irides hazel. Lores black. Plumage, above, variegatedwith red, yellow, cinereous and black. Beneath, yellowish-white, with crosswavedbrown bars. Quills 23, black, with transverse reddish bars. Tail of12 feathers, black, tipped with grey above and white below. Female larger,with white spots on the wing-covers — Nest on the earth. Eggs 4, yellowish,spotted with brown. — This species visits us about the first week of October,arriving at night with a north-east wind ; and departs in March. A few, however,have been known to breed in this country.b. Loiccr part ofthe tibia naked. Snipes.146. S. major. Great Snipe.— Tail of 16 feathers; shaft ofthe first quill white.Penn. Brit Zool. ii. 450. Temm. Orn. ii. 675.—Bare in Britain.Length 12 inches; weight 8 ounces. Bill 2| inches long, brown, the basereddish. Feet greenish-grey. Crown black, divided by a band of yellowishwhite,similar to one over the eyes. Above, variegated brown and red ; thelatter colour disposed longitudinally. Beneath, reddish-white ; the belly andsides with black bands. This species seems of rare occurrence. The followingremark by Mr Bewick, however, would lead us to believe that it is probablyoverlooked, and by sportsmen not distinguished as a species. The authorhas seen three specimens of a large kind of snipe, called by some sportsmen,from being always found alone, The Solitary Snipe. They weighed thesame as the above mentioned (8 oz.), but differed in some slight particulars,measuring only 12 inches in length, and from tip to tip about 19. The upperparts of the plumage were nearly like those of the common snipe. The breast,sides, belly, and vent, white, spotted, barred, and undulated with black. Itis not clearly ascertained whether this be a distinct species of snipe, or whetherit acquires its bulk, and change of plumage, from age, and its solitaryhabits from ceasing to breed."—Brit. Birds, ii. p. 07.147. S. Sabini.— Tail feathers 12. Plumage destitute of longitudinalbands.