American Coot 101 



b* Culmen approximately equal to the tarsus. 

 a^ Tail unbarred. 



a^ Larger ; wing over 5-0, bill longer than the head. 



Micropalama, p. 112. 



b^ Smaller ; wing under 4-0, bill hardly as long as 



the head. Ereunetes, p. 117. 



b* Tail barred with dusky and white — on the outer 



feathers, at any rate. 



a'' Larger ; wing over 7. 



a' A white patch on the wing and at the base 

 of the tail. Catoptrophorus, p. 123. 



b^ No white patches on wing and tail. 



Limosa, p. 119. 

 b* Smaller ; wing under 6. 



zP Axillaries and under wing-coverts banded 



white and dusky ; lower breast plain white. 



Helodromas, p. 122. 



b^ Axillaries and under wing-eoverts plain white, 



abdomen spotted. Actitis, p. 126. 



b^ Three toes only, without webs. Calidris, p. 118. 



c. Tarsus with transverse scutes in front and reticulated at the 



sides and behind. 



a^. Bill long and slender and down-curved. Numenius, p. 128. 



b^. Bill short, conical and straight (Aphrizidce). Arenaria, p. 136. 



Family PHALEROPODIDiE. 



The Phalaropes are a small family of birds, resembling 

 the Sandpipers in general form and structure, except 

 that their anterior toes are bordered by a well-developed 

 marginal web, sometimes cut into lobes, as in the Coots 

 and Grebes. The females are larger and more brightly 

 coloured than the males and, as is generally the case 

 under these circumstances, the latter perform the duties 

 of incubation. 



Genus LOBIPES. 



Bill long and slender, though shorter than in Steganopus, tapering, 

 acute and pointed, the culmen shghtly exceeding or equal to the tarsus 

 and middle toe and claw ; tail short and rounded ; legs comparatively 

 short, and only a short portion of the tibio-tarsus bare ; toes margined 

 with a membrane scalloped at each joint ; the middle and inner toe 

 united basally to the second joint, the middle and outer to the first joint. 



