CHARADEIID^ — THE PLOVEES — VA^'ELLUS. 129 



cV. Wing unarmed. 



e'. No trace of bind toe. 

 /'. Tail very long (half as long as the wing, or more), extending half its length beyond 

 tips of closed wings ; rump and upper tail-coverts pale rufous or ochraceous in the 

 American species. 



6. Oxyechus. Bill slender, about equal in length to the middle toe ; tarsus deci- 



dedl}- less than twice as long as middle toe ; rump and upper tail-coverts rufous or 

 ochraceous (except in 0. tricollaris). 

 f". Tail short (less than half as long as the wing), reaching little, if any, beyond ends 

 of closed wings ; rump concolor with the back. 



7. .aSgialitis. Bill variable, but usually shorter than middle toe, or, if longer, very 



slender ; tarsus less than twice as long as middle toe. 



8. Ochthodromus. Bill very large (as long as, or longer than, middle toe), the termi- 



nal half of the culmen much arched, the base of the gonys forming a decided 

 angle ; tarsus about one and a half times to nearly twice as long as middle toe. 



9. Podasocys. Bill slender, wide at base, much longer than middle toe ; tarsus more 



than twice as long as middle toe. 

 10. Oreophilus.i Bill very slender, depressed, nearly twice as long as middle toe ; 

 tarsus nearly twice as long as middle toe. Plumage longitudinally striped above, 

 e". A well-developed, tliough small, hind toe, with curved claw. 

 11. Zonibyx.^ Size small (wing less than six inches) ; plumage plain above, except in 

 vounw. 

 d". Wing armed with a conical spur on the head of the metacarpus. 

 12. Hoploxypterus.3 No trace of hind toe. Size medium ; first quill longest ; tarsiis 

 more than twice as long as middle toe. Plumage white beneath, with black pectoral 

 collar ; above ashy, varied with black and white in large, rather longitudinal, patches ; 

 legs yellow. 



Genus VANELLUS, Brisson. 

 Vanellus, Schaeff. Briss. Orn. Y. 1760, 94 (type, Tringa vanellus, LiXN.). 



Char. Size large (larger than Srfiatarola). Bill slender, about equal in length to the mid- 

 dle toe, which is about half as long as the tarsus ; a distinct web between outer and middle toes, 

 at the base ; a well-developed hind toe, with a small claw. Wings lengthened, but rounded, the 

 first quill shorter than the sixth ; the second, third, and fourth nearly equal, and longest. Tail 

 slightly emarginated. Occiput (of adult) ornamented by an elongated, slender, recurved crest. 

 Plumage of upper parts metallic. 



A single species only of this genus occurs in America, this being the common Lapwing or 

 Peewit of Europe (V. cristatus), which has been found at several localities of Arctic America, 

 including both Greenland and Alaska. The South American lurds usually referred to Vanellus 

 belong to two quite distinct genera (Belonopterus and Ptiloscelys), distinguished by important 

 differences of structure, as tabulated on page 128. 



1 Oreophilus, Jav.t>. & Selby, lUustr. Orn. pi. 151 (type, 0. totanirostris, Jard. & Selby, = Chara- 

 drius ricficollis, Wagl. IIc(b. Southern South America). 



2 Zonibijx, Reich. Handb. 1851, xviii. (type, Vanellus cindus, 'Lehh. , = Charadrius modcstus, Light. 

 Hah. Southern South America). 



^ Hoploxyptcrus, Bonap. Coiupt. Eend. XLIII. lS.'i6, 418 (type, Charadrius cayanus. Lath. Hab. 

 South America.) 



A nearly allied Old World genus, Eojiloxitcrus, Boxap. (type, Cliaradrius spinosus, Lixx. ), differs as 

 follows: First primary shorter than the fourth, as in Vanellus and Bcloiiopfcnis ; wing-spur larger, and 

 curved ; the legs almost stilt-like in length (tarsus nearly thrice the middle toe), and black. There is 

 also a well-developed web between the outer and nuddle toes, at the base, hardly indicated at all in 

 Hoploxypterus. 



VOL. I. — 17 



