Ntmehii, were this not forbidden by the long-'&nd delicate' legs
and i^a to perceive
than to express by words, As a species, in form, dimensions,,and
especiaHy in pluma^e^ this -biBd ^èealjly ^esfetabks Tringa siMtr-
quata of Temminck, (JSfumenius qfricanus, Lath.) from which it.is
however clearly distingtttsbëtf by % still ldnger and &g||palntated
if rf|em|fies T. semitmlmJÊm ^ i f cannot
f° r a .moment be mistaken for any other Tringay differing widely
from; y i1, and by a comp^.tion of anomalies resembling m<pein
generliijgarb and plumage a Totanus than a Tringa.
-We are unable t© say much of tbe^ habits of thisfeurious Sandff
piper, furthéf than that we met watÉ it ; ^ ^ e montfl ohilulyjll 82&
near a small- ireshwater pond at ®on^l|aneh. Irefag there inv
compasny with my 'friend Mr. Goopenwe c^serVed a flock^&pmg
about, at which I fired* and kMIed the on^^re represen^d. On *
first picking i t u p , ! mistook i^for a time ^©r*^ s0arquata, VL
species very rare in-the ^Suted^kates, thoughoteofi the^anst
common in Italy, but was undeceived uponobscrvingthl^reb
between the toès. This is the omlyspeeimea 1 hUe ever se@h|
though the^ntleman just mentioned iiffbrms-me that. he*fcis
recently pr^^red .another that was,shgRn the month of May on
the south’shore of Long Islan ds
j This new.species i%nea®*ly nine and a haM^ichS^ong. The
h p ,m u ^ I |n g e r than the bead, is decidediyWbarchefetnd measures
one 4nch sand five -eighths, and isj blank, T .|f general plumage
is of theisame gray colour usu ^ i n other Sandpipers: the
'Ótobm'to d u s% mixed with-whitish and blackish, and #ith a little
bright, rusty on thAnargins j a b ro ^ ^ h itis f t line is above tfie
eyej b e tw m the b p and ey eü sk y , a patch <tf rust-cefiour on f ie
auriculars: the neck above and on the sides is mined with whitisL;
the back aM scapulas black,.the feathers tipped with dusky gray
and marked with pale rusty: the rump is plain dusky gra$v%
and the uppeffl ta#covCrt;’s t vphite* regularly banded wirrPblaek.
The throat is wl?®P!m, o traum tely «H tTO lfb la ck ish ; the whole
under surface is then, including the* tad-coverts, whiles -each fear
ther being bandea with Macias n, anqr ©lie o r the bands terminal.
The wings are five and a half inches long; all the coverts plain
dusky with lighter margin#; the undp'uoverts are marbled with
blacki#yahd whitish: the primaries are blackish, the first with a
white shaft; the secondaries are paladusky, edged with whitish.
The tail isPgray, « e n , and two inches long, the, two „middle
feathers are acnt.e.Mroigeting beyond the othersA&te lenath of
their pointsathe outo^omeach side i& also somewhat longer than,
ahe others: all are with whiteshafts, the white>preadpng
somewhat along fh^middle, but particularly at the base,
whene, all the feathers but the mlddlifnnes areawhite, as well
■ aWlnealtwo outer also on thet greater part of flleir innerajiane.
The feetljare black, and th$£§Cgs y § ^ ||in g : the naked- space cm
tte tibia one inch and a qitarf #f'tb^PKus one and three quarters
loi%: -theJpaddle toe is very nearlytoneTnrttwithont'tiie nail, and
about as much over an inch including i t : all the: front toes are
half-webbed* that is with a membrane connecting them at base.