GRALLATORES.
[157.] 2. T otanus vociFERUS. (Sabine.) The Tell-tale.
Ge n u s, Totanus, B e c h s t . Scolopax totanus. Foust. Phil. Trans., lxii., p. 410, No. 39.
Spotted Snipe. P e n n . Arct. Zool., ii., p. 4 6 7 ,No. 374.*
Tell-tale Godwit or Snipe (Scolopax vboiferus). W ils., vii., p. 57, pi. 58» *• 5*
Totanus vociferus. Sab. Frankl. Joum., p. 687-
Totanus melanoleucus. Bonap. Syn., No. 260.
Sasashew. Ck e e I n d ia n s .
This Tatler is larger than the Yellow-shanks, and has a much stronger bill ;
but very closely resembles it both in appearance and mannersf. It is very
plentiful on the Saskatchewan plains. According to Mr. Hutchins, j‘ it lays
four eggs, of a dark colour, spotted with black, which are large for the size of
the bird.” DESCRIPTION
Of the male, killed on the Saskatchewan, May, 1827-
Colour.—Upper plumage dark liver-brown, bordered with greyish-white on the head,
neck, rump, and two upper rows of lesser wing coverts ; the fore part of the back, scapulars
lesser quills, intermediate and greater coverts, being marked with rather large margina
whitish spots. Greater quills and their coverts blackish I shaft of the first quill white. Tail
barred alternately with broccoli-brown and white, the former predominating on the middle
feathers, the white on the lateral ones. Upper and under tail coverts, sides of the rump, and
under plumage. white; the neck streaked with liver-brown; flanks, under wing and tail
coverts, barred with the same; the bars on the latter nearly obsolete in some specimens..
BUI pitch-black. F Legs wax-yellow. . „ , • , orm, in almost every respect, the same with that of Tot. flampes, allowance being made
for its greater size. Nasal grooves not reaching half the length of the hill. Bill equal to the
Length, total
„ of tail
,, of wing
Of the male.
Inch. Lin. . _ Inch
14 0 Length of bill above . 2
4 0 „ of bill to rictus . 2 n 6 „ of tarsus • • 2
Lin. Inch. Lih.
2 Length of middle toe . 1 5
6 „ of its nail . . 0 * 2 i
8 „ of hind toe . 0 4
of its nail . . 0 1 |
the* TWelli-lstaolne -q uboutte tsh eth dee sSctroipntei oCnu irnle wAr,ctic Zoology is too general for identification. On the other hand, the descrip
birds of the United States. States, and Greater and Lesser Yellow-shanks