Oeder GRALL^. 



Superfamily SCOLOPACOIDEiE. 



Family CHARADRIID^. 

 32. Heematopus osculans Swinh. 



l826.^-R(Bmato2)U8 hypoleuca Pall., Zool. Ross. As., II, p. 129 (part). 



l^f>'.i. — HcBmatojms osirahgus Middend., Sibir. Reise, II, 2 (p. 213), (nee Lin.). — 

 ScTiRENCK, Reise Araurl., I, p. 413 (18(i0). —Swinh., Ibis, 1860, p. f>:i.—Id., 

 ibid., 1861, pp. 261 and 342.— Przew. Putesch. Ussur. (n. 157) (1870). 



Wiy.).—II(vmatoj)us longirostris SwiNii., Ibis, 1863, p. 406 (wee ViEiLL.).— 7d.,P. Z. S., 

 1»63, p. 310. 



ISll.—Hwmatojms osculans SwiNH., P. Z. S., 1871, p. 405.— 7d., Ibis, 1875, p. 129.— 

 Td., ibid., 1875, p. 453.— Pelz., Ver. Zool. Bot. Ver. Wien, 1873, Extr., p. 6.— 

 Taczan., Bull. Soc Zool. France, 1876, p. 249.— Id., ibid., 1883, p. 339.— Id., 

 Oru. Faun. East Sib., p. ,''>3 (1877).— Blakist. & Pryer, Ibi8,1878, p.219.— 

 lid., Tr. As. Soc. Jap., VIII, 1880, p. WS.—Iid., ibid.,X, 1882, p. 109.— Seeb., 

 Ibis, 1879, p. 26.— Blakist., Amend. List B. Jap., p. 11 (1884). 



The easteru Oyster-catclier is nearly related to the European species 

 n. ostralegus L., and more nearly so, perhaps, to the form occurring in 

 New Zealand and Australia, H. longirontris Vieill. It has the black 

 edgings of the upper tail coverts in common with the latter, but as to 

 the length of the bill and the amount of white on the wing-feathers it 

 is intermediate between both. As I have seen no intergradation, how- 

 ever, I shall keep these three forms apart as distinct species, although 

 the probability is that it at last will be found necessary to apply a tri- 

 nomiual to the eastern bird, H. ostralegus osculans (Swinh.). One 

 of my birds, No. 92884, has, in fact, the shaft of all the primaries 

 as in ostralegus, but as the bird is a young one nothing can be con- 

 cluded from it. On the other hand, the black on the upper tail-coverts 

 forms two to three broad terminal cross-bars on each feather, the white 

 interspace being strongly tinged with rusty buff. In adult birds from 

 China I find only more or less broad black edging on these feathers^ 

 and in one specimen these are nearly obsolete, too, and so are they ia 

 an example of longirostris from New Zealand ; but as the edges are very 



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