(Macrorhampus scolopaceus)
Though not of the same genus, the closet relative to the Wilson snipe
is the dowitcher or red-breasted snipe. By many who are not accustomed
to the Wilson snipe and its many vagaries, the red-breasted snipe is
often mistaken for the former. The red-breasted snipe may easily be
distinguished by the small web between the outer and middle toes. This
species of the dowitcher is a western bird, breeding well to the north
and migrating south to Mexico.
=Color=--Head and back, more of a gray than the Wilson snipe, with the
feathers edged with a pale buff; light gray stripe running from the
base of the bill over the eye to the occiput; chin, dull white;
breast, gray, with a tinge of cinnamon red; tail, banded with dark
brown; a small web between the outer and middle toes, extending about
one-fourth down the outer toe.
=Eggs and Nest=--Nest made on the ground and containing from three to
four dull white eggs.
=Measurements=--Total length, 10-1/2 inches; wing, 5-3/4; bill, about 2-1/2
inches, and with a considerable swelling at the end.
[Illustration: GREATER YELLOW-LEGS (Totanus melanoleucus)]