SCOLOPACID.E — THE SNIPE FAMILY — TOTANUS. 267 



to the wing ; but the l^ill is much thicker, and decidedly recurved terminally, while it is also 

 longer in proportion to the tarsus. " Glottis " canescens is very much like melanoleuca, but the 

 same characters which separate the latter from flavipes are in this more exaggerated ; the resem- 

 blance, however, being much closer between canescens and vielanoleuca than between the latter and 

 flavipes. T. calidris (L.) is exactly intermediate in form and proportions hetween " Gambetta" 

 melanoleuca and flaviijes. Rhyacophilus ochropus has the bill only as long as the tarsus, instead of 

 very much longer, as in all the foregoing species ; but /'. solitarius and R. glareola have it shorter, 

 the latter species (the type of Eliijaco])liilus) difl'ering from the typical species of TotoMUs {stagnatilis 

 and flavipes) in the longer toes, the middle toe very nearly equalling the bill in length. Upon the 

 whole the Wood Sandpipers (^Rhyacophilus') and the Redshank (^Erythroscelus fuscus) seem suffi- 

 ciently different from the species of Totanus to warrant their generic separation, the following 

 being the chief distinctive' characters : — 



Totanus. Middle toe not more than half as long as the tarsus ; bill decidedly shorter than 

 tarsus : I. T. stafinatilis ; 2. T. flavipes ; 3. T. calidris ; 4. T. melanoleucus ; 5. T. glottis. 



Rhyacophilus. ]\Iitldle toe nearly or quite as long as the tarsus : \. R. glareola; 2. R. soli- 

 tarius ; 3. R. ochrojnis. 



Erythroscelus. Middle toe about half the tarsus ; bill longer than tarsus. Lower parts 

 dusky in adult : 1. E.fuscus. 



Synopsis of the American Species. 



The three American species of Totanus may be distinguished as follows, one of them being a 

 mere straggler from Europe : — 



A. Size large (wing more than 7 inches) ; terminal half of bill slightly recurved. 



1. T. uebularius. Entire rump, upper tail-coverts, and lower parts, pure white, without 



markings on the crissum ; wing-coverts unspotted. Wing, 7.00-7.80 ; culmen, 2.15-2.20 ; 

 tarsus, 2.2.5-2.65 ; middle toe, 1.12-1.30. Hab. Europe ; accidental in Florida ? 



2. T. melanoleucus. Rump mottled dusky ; upper tail-coverts white, barred with dusky ; 



wing-coverts spotted with white ; sides, flanks, and lower tail-coverts irregularly barred 

 with dusky. Wing, 7.40-8.00 ; culmen, 2.05-2.40 ; tarsus, 2.35-2.70 ; middle toe, 1.25- 

 1.50. Hab. North America ; Central and South America and West Indies in winter. 



B. Size small (wing less than 7 inches) ; bill slender, not recurved terminally. 



3. T. flavipes. Colors of 2\ melanoleucus. Wing, 6.10-6.65; culmen, 1.30-1.55; tarsus, 



2.00-2.15 ; middle toe, 1.00-1.15. Hab. North America, breeding northward ; Central 

 and South America and West Indies in winter. 



Totanus nebularius. 



THE GREENSHANK. 



Scolopax nebularius, Gfnnertts, in Leem, Lapp. Beschr. 1767, 251. 



Scolopax glottis, L.a.th. Synop. Suppl. 1787, 292 (nee Linx.). 



Totanus glottis, Bechst. Naturg. Deutschl. IV. 1789-1795, 249. — Keys. & Blas. Wirb. Eur. 1831, 



72. — ScHLEG. Eev. Crit. 92. —Gray, Gen. B. III. 1849, 573 ; Cat. Brit. B. 1863, 160. — Aud. 



Om. Biog. III. 1835, 483, pl. 269 ; Synop. 1839, 244 ; B. Am. V. 1842, 321, pl. 346. — RiDGW. 



Norn. X. Am. B. 1881, no. 547. — Coues, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, no. 635. 

 Scolopax canescens, Gmel. S.N. I. 1788, 668. 

 ^' Glottis canescens, Strickl." (Gr.\y). 



Scolopax totanus, Linn. S X. ed. 12, I. 1766, 245 (nee ed. 10, 1758). 

 Limosa totanus. Pall. Zoogr. Rosso- As. IT. 1831, 183. 

 Totanus fistul an s, Bechst. Xaturg. IV. 1809, 241. 

 Totanus griseus, Bechst. t.e. 231. 

 Glottis chloropus, NiLss. Orn. Suec. II. 1817-1821, 57. — Bonat. Comp. List, 1838, 51. — Macgill. 



Man. II. 91. 

 Totanus chloropus, Meyer & Wolf, Taschb. Vog. Deutschl. II. 1810, 371. — CouES, Key, 1872, 



259 ; Check List, 1873, no. 434. 



