Snowy Heron, Ardea candidissima, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. vii. p. 120. pl. 62. fig. 4.—Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 49.
Adult Male in full spring plumage. Plate CCXLII.
Bill longer than the head, straight, compressed, tapering to a point, the mandibles nearly equal. Upper mandible with the dorsal line nearly straight, the ridge broad and slightly convex at the base, narrowed towards the end, a groove from the base to two-thirds of its length, beneath which the sides are convex, the edges thin and sharp, with a slight notch close to the very acute tip. Nostrils basal, linear, longitudinal, with a membrane above and behind. Lower mandible with the angle extremely narrow and elongated, the dorsal line beyond it ascending and almost straight, the edges sharp and slightly inflected, the tip acuminate.
Head rather small, oblong, compressed. Neck very long and slender. Body slender and compressed. Feet very long; tibia elongated, its lower half bare, very slender, covered all round with angular scales, of which the posterior are scutelliform; tarsus elongated, slender, compressed, anteriorly covered with numerous scutella, laterally and behind with angular scales. Toes of moderate length, rather slender, scutellate above, reticularly granulate beneath; third toe much longer than second, which is very little shorter than fourth, the hind toe much shorter but strong. Claws rather small, arched, compressed, acute, that of hind toe much larger, the inner edge of that of the third regularly pectinate.
Space between the bill and eye, and around the latter, bare, as is the lower half of the tibia. Plumage soft and blended. Feathers of the upper and hind part of the head, very long, loose, decurved; of the sides, and especially of the lower part of the neck, also much elongated; of the middle of the back very long, loose, and hanging over the sides and rump, but with their extremities recurved. Wings of moderate length; primaries tapering and rounded, the third longest, the second very little shorter, first and fourth about equal; secondaries broad and rounded, some of the inner as long as the longest primaries, when the wing is closed. Tail very short, small, slightly rounded, of twelve rather weak feathers.
Bill black, the bare space at its base yellow. Iris and edges of eyelids yellow. Tibia and tarsus black, the lower part of the latter behind and the toes bright yellow; claws bluish black. The plumage is pure white.
Length to end of tail 22 1/2 inches, to end of wings 23, to end of claws 30 1/2; extent of wings 38; wing from flexure 10 1/2; tail 3; loose feathers 1 1/2 beyond the tail; bill along the ridge 3 2/12; along the edge of lower mandible 3 3/4; bare part of tibia 2 1/2; tarsus 3 11/12; middle toe 2 1/2, its claw 4/12. Weight 12 oz.
THE AMERICAN SNIPE.
Scolopax Wilsonii, Temm.
PLATE CCXLIII. Male, Female, and Young in Autumn.
The summer range of the Common American Snipe extends northward to a considerable distance beyond the limits of the United States. During the breeding season it is not to be found in our Southern Districts, much less does it breed on the borders of the Mississippi, as has been alleged by some writers. It may indeed sometimes happen that a pair is found during summer in the mountainous districts of the Carolinas; but occurrences of this kind are rare, and are probably caused by one of the birds being disabled, and so prevented from prosecuting its journey farther northward, although not incapacitated for reproduction. Some pairs are more frequently met with in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, either with eggs or with young, but the great body of this species goes farther north for the purpose of breeding. In the State of Maine, they become tolerably abundant at this season, and as you proceed eastward you find them more numerous. In Nova Scotia they are plentiful during summer, and there they breed in all convenient places.