Limosa segocephala, Idnné.
Vernacular ITameS-— [Goodera, Gairiya, Jangral, Burra chaha. N. IV. Provinces
; Malgujha, Nepal; Tauralí, L. Bengal; Susling, Sindh ; Tondu ulanka
(Telegu). ]
HROUGHOUT the Himalayas, at any rate from
Kashmir to Sikhim, the 13lack-tailed Godvvit has
been met with, but chiefly, if not solely on passage,
in autumn and spring.
During the cold season it is pretty common,
though rather locally distributed, throughout the
Punjab, Sind, Rajputana, * Cutch, Kathiawar, Northern
Guzerat, the North Western Provinces and Oudh, and the
plains portion of Bengal west of the Brahmaputra.
Southwards of this tract it must be very rare in India. It
does occur in Southern India, for Jerdon, in his Catalogue,
distinctly states that, though rare, he has seen it there, and Layard
records it from Ceylon, but Davidson has not yet met with
it in Khandesh. Blanford does not include it in his list of birds
either of Central and Western India, or of the Ward ha Valley,
nor McMaster, in his Nagporc and Berar List, nor King in his
Goona List, nor have I myself seen it, or received it from any of
my collectors, in the southern or eastern portions of the Central
Provinces. Ball does not include it in his Lists of the Birds of
Chota Nagporc, or the country southwards to the Godavarf.
Again neither does Lloyd include it in his Konkan List, nor
Vidal in his of Ratnagiri, nor Fairbank in his Lists of the Birds
of the Mahrathi country, and of Khandala, Mahableshwar, and
Ahmcdnagar, nor Davidson and Wenden in their Deccan List.
Mclnroy does not mention it as observed in Mysore, nor apparently
has Theobald ever shot it in Southern India, south of
the 12th degree North Latitude, most parts of which he
has worked over during the last ten years. Nor has Mr.
Bourddlon obtained it in Southern Travancore.
This is all negative, but, while Jcrdon's statement proves that
the bird docs occur, all this evidence shows that it must be
very rare in India south of the 20th degree North Latitude.
West of the Brahmaputra, again, it seems to be rare. Colonel
Graham writes that he has seen a few in Upper Assam ; but I
* 1 have myself shot it as far south as the Kunkrowli Lake in Oodcypore.
D 2