122 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax. 



XVII. — A Review of the Species of the Genus Scolopax. 

 By Henry Seebohm. 



The Snipes are a very interesting group of birds, not only 

 to the sportsman, but also to the ornithologist. Few birds 

 give better sport in the field, and few genera are capable of 

 being made a better text from which to preach an ornitholo- 

 gical sermon on the new point of view from which the subject 

 must be regarded, now that the theory of the evolution of 

 species is generally accepted. 



The Snipes belong to the family Charadriidse, which 

 also includes the Sandpipers, Curlews, Plovers, and a few 

 other allied genera. From all these birds they are very 

 easily and very distinctly characterized. Most of the Cha- 

 radriidae are partially web-footed ; they have a distinct web 

 at the base of the toes, sometimes much more developed 

 between the outer and middle toe ; but the Snipes, some of 

 the Sandpipers, and the Turnstones are exceptions to this 

 rule, having no rudimentary web between any of the 

 toes, which are all cleft to the base. Again, most of the 

 Charadriidee have comparatively long legs and short bills ; 

 the Snipes, on the contrary, have short legs and long bills. 

 The only birds in this family (except the Snipe) in which the 

 bill is as long or longer than twice the length of the tarsus 

 are the females of one or two species of Curlew, and one or 

 two species of Sandpiper, none of which have all the toes 

 cleft to the base. The genus Scolopax may therefore be 

 diagnosed as follows : — 



Charadriidse having the bill twice as long as the tarsus, 

 and all the toes cleft to the base. 



The Snipes are the only birds in the family which combine 

 both characters ; the diagnosis is therefore perfect, including 

 all the species which belong to the genus Scolopax, and ex- 

 cluding every other bird. 



The genus Scolopax may, however, be diagnosed almost more 

 simply as : — Charadriidse having the tarsus shorter than the 

 middle toe and claw, and with parti-coloured tail-feathers. 



It is quite possible to construct other diagnoses of this 



