BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 145 



genora, belong to South America, among these being the monoty])ic 

 genus Plugornifi and a single species of HostratuJa, a genus occurring 

 elsewhere only in ^\irica, southern Asia, and Australia. Not a single 

 species has been discovered which is peculiar to the extensive region 

 between the northern boundary of the United States and the northern 

 extremity of South America, though several have the greater part of 

 their summer range included within the territory of the United States. 



KEY TO THE NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICAN GENERA OF SCOLOPACID^.a 



a. Bony orbital ring complete; ear-orifice anterior to middle of orbit; mandibular rami 

 very strongly and abruptly deflected; posterior profile of skull subconical, much 

 narrower above than below. 6 {Scolopadnse.y 



a Our knowledge concerning the anatomy of the Scolopacidse is so fragmentary that 

 a satisfactory arrangement of the genera is as yet impracticable. It is true that much 

 has been done, of late, toward the establishment of a sound classification, based on 

 osteological characters, by Mr. Percy R. Lowe, in his "Study of the Charadriiformes", 

 especially the first paper, "On the Systematic Position of the Ruff (Machetes pugnax) 

 and Semipalmated Sandpiper (Ereunetes pusillus)" (Ibis, July, 1915, pp. 609-616), 

 wherein are given what appear to be excellent reasons for the recognition of two sub- 

 families, apart from the Scolopacinse, namely, the Eroliinse and Tringinaj. Unfor- 

 tunately Mr. Lowe's researches are confined to only part of the genera, and he leaves us 

 in ignorance concerning the affinities of Limosa, Vetola, Pseudoscolopax, Limnodromus, 

 CatoptrophoruSyHeteroscelus, Tryngites, Bartramia, Numenius, Phtxopus, and Mcsoscolopax. 

 The first three of these aJmost certainly belong to the Eroliinaj, and the two following 

 to the Tringinae; but the position of Tryngites, Bartramia, Numenius, Phxopus, and 

 Mesosi'olopax is quite uncertain, and consequently I am not able to avail myself of 

 Mr. Lowe's two group.s in the construction of the above "key" which therefore must 

 be understood as a purely artificial one. Rostratula and the true Scolopacinse also 

 require special investigation, especially the former, which doubtless, on account of 

 its many marked pecularities, represents a distinct subfamily, Rostratulinse. It is 

 possible that if Mr. Lowe had been able to study all these genera when his paper 

 was prepared he might have found that his groups, Eroliinse and Tringina?, are not 

 so distinct as they appeared to be, some of the genera not examined being possibly 

 intermediate in characters. However this may be, the Scolopacinse (woodcocks and 

 true snipes) seem to form one end of the series, the Eroliinse coming between them 

 and the Tringinse. 



The South American genera Phegornis (Leptopus, not of Rafinesque, 1822, Eraser, 

 Pi'oc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1844, 157; type, L. mitchelli Phaser. — Leptodactylus, not of Fit- 

 zinger, 182G, Eraser, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1844, 157; to replace Leptopus Eraser, pre- 

 occupied. — Leptoscclis, not of Halliday, 1833, Des Murs, Icon. Orn., 1840, pi. 41; new 

 name for Leptopus and Leptodactylus Eraser, preoccupied. — Phegornis Gray, Gen. 

 Birds, iii, 1847, 545; type, Leptopus mitchelli Fra.ser), and Rostratula are not included 

 in the key. The former I have not been able to examine. 



f> Doubtless many additional characters maj' be found by examination of the entire 

 skeleton. 



c The curious genus Rostratula Vieillot (Analyse, 1816, 56, type, Scolopax capensis 

 Linnjeus; Rhiinch;va Cuvier, Regne Anim., 1817, 487, same type) has usually been 

 placed with this group, l)ut, judging from external characters alone, almost certainly 

 does not belong here. The bill is distinctly decurved terminally, and the distal por- 

 tion of the maxilla is hard, smooth, and with a median ridge instead of being soft, 

 pitted, and noncarinate, as in the Scolopacinse. The sexes differ conspicuously lioth 

 in size and coloration, the females being larger and more Ijrightly colored than the 

 males. The geographic range of the genus is also peculiar, the three known species 

 being confined, respectively, to southern South America, Australia, and southern 

 Africa and Asia. 



40017— 1!)— Bull. 50, pt 8 11 



