116 ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 



40- Actodromas damacensis (HonSF.). 



1821. — Totantis (himacciisis IloiiSF., Tr Liun. Soc, XIII (p. 192), (nee Taczanow- 

 SKI) —TriiKja d. SwiNH., P. Z. S., 1863, p. •.)16.—Id., ibid., 1871, p. 4u9.—Id., . 

 Ibis, 1863, p. AVi.—Id., ibid., 1875, p. 455.— Blakist. »&Pryer, Ibis, 1878, 

 p. 221. 

 18.53. — Trivga submiiiula Middend., Sibir-Rcise, II (p. 222, tab. xix, tig. ('>). — 

 SCII1^E^'CK, Reis. Auiurl., I, p. 424, (I860).— Swinh., Ibis, 1862, p. 255.— M, 

 ibid., 1863, p. 97.— Radde, Reis. Slid. Ost-Sib., II (p. 333), (1863).— Dybow. 

 & Parvex, J. f. Oin., 1868, p. 337.— Taczan., J. f. Orn., 1873, p 103.— Id., 

 BuU. Soc. Zool. Fiance, 1876, ]i. 253. — Id., ibid., 1883, p. 33J. — Id., Orn. 

 Fauna Vost. Sibir., p. 56 (1877).— Blakist. & Pryer, Tr. As. Soc. Jap., X, 

 1882, p. 112.— Blakist., Amend. List B. Jnp., p. 37 (1884).— Seed., Ibis, 

 1884, p. 34. — Bogdan., Consp. Av. Ross., I, p. 92 {1884).— Actodromas s. 

 Stejneger, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mns., 1883, p. 7L 



1871. — Tringa sa?iHa Dresser, B. of Eur., pt. vii, T. uiin., )). 4 (nee Pall.). 



1879. — Tringa riifcoUis Seeuoii.m, Ibis, 1879, p. 26 {ncc Pall.). — Blakist. & PR.,Tr. 

 As. Soc. Jap., VI 11, 1880, p. 195. 



Having heard of no doubt concerning the identification of Horsefield's 

 damacensis with Middendoiff's suhminuta, I adopt it without further 

 comment. 



Dresser is certainly wrong when, in his admirable "History of the 

 Birds of Europe," he identities Pallas's salina with the present sijecies. 

 Not only does the description of the color, " collum a gula ad pectus 

 totum ferrugineum," prohibit such an identification, but also the meas- 

 urements, as the middle toe is only giv^en as 9^'", that is 0.76 inch. In 

 Dresser's salina the middle toe is 0.9 inch. 



It is difficult to say what Taczauowski's damacensis is (Bull. Soc. 

 Zool. France, 1870, p. 253). , So much is certain, that it is not the same 

 as Horsefield's bird, provided the latter be identical with suhminuta 

 MiDD. He gives four distinct species from Eastern Asia, viz, Tringa 

 suhminuta, salina., temmincJdi, and damacensis. Having had specimens 

 of all four, the latter is not likely to be a synonym of any of the foregoing, 

 the more so as it seems that he has had all of them both in spring and 

 autumnal plumage (cfr. J. f. Orn., 1873, p. 103). The probability is, 

 therefore, that his damacensis rests u[)on a specimen of the true western 

 minuta, which also seems to occur in the interior of Asia, without reach- 

 ing the borders of the Pacific Ocean, however.* The only difficulty 

 arises from his identification of Pallas's T. cinclns with damacensis 

 Taczan. He says : " II n'y a aucun doute que la description de Pallas 

 s'applique a cette espece," while, in my opinion, there cannot be the 

 slightest doubt that Pallas's cinclns belongs to A. temmincldi. Pallas 

 describes it as having the wings blackish, "remige prima radii alha," 

 and the tail elongated, " rectricibus lateralibns albis." These are the 



*Crr. Swinhoe's statement (P. Z. S., 1871, p. 409), under the head of saMna, "I 

 have seen the true T. minnta in siininier plumage, from Lake Bailval." Cfr. also 

 the list of specimens of minnta in Sau.\d;:rs's collection, among which one from Baical 

 by Dr. Dybowski (Dresser J. c). 



