288 RED-BREASTED SNIPE.
with a longitudinal groove, the edges flattened and directly meeting
those of the upper mandible, the extremity enlarged, the tip contracted
fand^âtherJbl^^^J.-,-; ... i- . .. ' J •-: r., ,
Head rather small, oblong, narrowed anteriorly, the forehead elevated
and rounded. .Neck rather short. liodv rather full. Legs of
moderate length, slender ; tibia bare below, scutcllate before and behind
; tarsus with numerous scntella before, smaller®® behind, and
reticulated fides ; toes very slender, free, with numerous scuti'lla above,
-flaiifetaed and sightly marginate beneath ; tot yety small and elevated,
third with its claw scarcely so long as the tarsus,- lateral toss nearly
equal, the outer, connected with the middle by a web. Claws small,
slightly arched, compressed, rather acute..
Plumage very »oft. blended, rather dense, on the .fore p:irt of the
head very short. Wings long, narrow, pointed ; primaries rather
broad, tapering, to an obtuse point, th^.lirst longest,; the- rest rapidly
graduated ; secondaries broad, obliquely! terminated, with the inner
web projecting beyond the outer: the inner much elongated, one^jjf
them reaching to half an inch of the tip of the wing whe|j|^rSij|IS|s
Tail moderate, nearly even, the middle leathers a little longer, of
twelve rounded feathers.
Hill dark olive, Iris roddish-hazelK Feet light yellowish olive,
claws black. Upper parts brownish-black, variegated with light brownish
red,. the feathers being margined and the; scapulars obliquely barrel
with that,colour. Hind part of back, upper,tàilrtoovorts and tailfeathers,
light reddish-buff, obliquely barred with black, the bars on the
tail seven or. eight, and its tip while. Wing-coverts and secondaries greyish
brown, margined with-, greyish-white ; the Secondary coverts tipped
with while,, the quills tipped and obliquely banded with the same s
.-alula, primary coverts and quills brownish-black, the shaft of the first
quill white. From the base of the bill to the eye,and surrounding il,-a
dull reddish-whitft band ; lonil space dusky. All the lower parts duK:
orange red, with streaks and sfyfttfi of black, more numerous along the
sides, and on the tail- coverts.
Length % end of tail 10J inches,.: to end.of wings 10, tajrnd of
claws H i extent of wings lifg ; wing from flexure 6 J ; tail 2| ; bill
along ¿ 0 ridge 2!| ; .along the edge lower mandible ; bare part
of tibia i ; tarsus; I f ; middle- tee and ela# 1'«» ; hind toe and claw f .
inner (toe and claw 1 ; outer toe and claw ft Weight 3£
RED-BREASTED SNIPE. 289
- Adult in Winter. Plate CCCXXXV. Fig. 2.
The bill, iris, and feet as in summer. ^ Upper part of head and hmd
,1C(.k dusky grey, with which the feathers oftiic fore part o f the back,
scapulars and wing-over» are margined, their central parts bexng
brownish-black. A white band from tVe bill over the eye; margins of
eyelids also white. Hind part of back and tail barred with dusky as
in summer. Quills as in summer, the inner market with grey m place
of brownish-red. Loral space, cheeks, and rides of.the noek, pale grey;
throat and lower parts white ; the sides," axillary .feathers, and lower
tail-feathers, barred with dusky ; lower wing-coverts dusky, edged w:th
White, and having a central streak of the same. Individuals exhibit
great differences, in th<Staftlj of the bills and tarsi.
On the upper mandible, internally are three series of minute papillae,
which become larger 011 the palate. While the
upper mumhbli;. is. flat beneath, the lower 1®,.,
deeply, concave, and its crura, elastic and, capable,
of being separated near the: base to the distance
of three-fourths of an inch. The tonu'uo, which
is 2} inches long, and of a Slender form, carínate
beneath, with the tip pointed, , lies in the .deep
hollow of the lower mandible, and being deeply,
concave above, leaves a vacant space,„ by which,
when the bill is immersed in the mud and the
tips, separated;, the food passes ttong. The (Esophagus
is 4| incheslong, \ inch in diameter, and
nearly uniform. The prov#ntriculus, a, i, c, is bulbiform,
its diameter f¡ twelfths. The, stomach, r, d, e,f, is an oblong gizzard
of moderate strength, with the lateral and inferior muscles decided,
thí¡ tendons, large, its length 1 inch, its: breadth 8 twelfths The epithelium
is denso, tough, with numerous longitudinal rugae, and of a reddish
colour. The,contents of the stomach w,e.re very small hard hemispherical
seeds and vegetable fibres; The intestine, / , g, h, 19^ inches
long, its diameter 3 twelfths in its Upper part ; the cceca I f inch long,
and from 1 to,2 twelfths in diameter, with the extremity obtuse.
The trachea is wide, flattened, S i inches long, 2f twelfths broad at
the top, gradually diminishing to 2 twelfths; the rings about 130. The
contractor muscles are very thin, the sterno-tracheal slender ; and there
is a pair of inferior laryngeal. The bronchial half rings aré about 25.