BIRDS OF ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY, AND CHILE 163 



NYCTICRYPHES SEMICOLLARIS (Vieillot) 



Totanus semicoUaris Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 6, 1816, p. 402. 

 (Paraguay.) 



The painted snipe of South America differs so in structural 

 characters from the Old World species as to warrant its generic 

 separation, and indeed to such an extent as to cast some doubt on 

 belief in the near affinity of these two groups. The bird under 

 discussion here has the bill more curved at the tip, the tip expanded 

 on both upper and lower mandibles, the distal end distinctly pitted, 

 a median groove to distal end of gonys, a slight web between outer 

 and middle toes, the tail strongly wedge-shaped, the median feathers 

 tapered, and soft in structure at the tip with the median upper 

 and lower coverts longer than the lateral rectrices. In Rostratula, 

 as here restricted, the bill is less curved, with no distal expansion 

 or pitting, no median groove on the gonys, no web at the base of 

 the outer and median toes, tail only slightly rounded, of stiff blunt 

 feathers with all of the rectrices longer than the tail coverts. The 

 distinctions are easily evident on examination of specimens. For 

 the South American bird Wetmore and Peters have erected the 

 genus Nycticryphes.^- 



The South American painted snipe was fairly common near 

 Lavalle, Buenos Aires, from October 28 to November 9, 1920, in 

 boggy, fresh-water marshes where partly submerged areas grown 

 with rushes afforded shelter and clumps of grass standing in from 

 75 to 150 mm. of water gave them footing. At that season the birds 

 were found in pairs or alone though several might be startled near 

 one another. In general habits, flight, and appearance they sug- 

 gested jacksnipe but seemed more averse to bright sunlight, as, 

 though they flushed readily in cloudy weather, it was often difficult 

 to start them when the sky was clear and the light intense. They 

 rose always near at hand with a sudden spring accomj)anied by 

 a low rattle of wing quills that was stilled at once as they darted 

 rapidly away. After a flight over the rushes they hesitated for an 

 instant as though uncertain of the ground below and then dropped 

 suddenly to cover. It frequently required considerable tramping 

 to start them a second time. As they rose the light lines on either 

 side of the back and the curved bill showed plainly, but as they 

 traveled away they appeared wholly light and dark in color. 

 Though in form and action their flight was not unlike that of 

 GaUinago, they pursued a less erratic course and were silent. How- 

 ever, it required quick work to shoot them, so that their local 

 cognomen of can^e correro was well warranted. As they were killed 

 over dense cover it was often difficult to locate those that had fallen. 



^Proc. Biol. Soc. Washing-ton, vol. 3G, May 1, 192.3, p. 14.3. 



