Mr. H. Seebohin on the Genus Scolopax. 125 



Comraou Snipe are obviously nearer related to each other 

 than either of them are to the Imperial Snipe of Colombia. 

 All generic distinctions must be genetic distinctions, other- 

 wise they are of no value. The theory that structural cha- 

 racters only are of generic value, is either based upon the 

 presumption that they date further back than characters 

 founded upon difference in colour and pattern of colour, or 

 it is an antiquated, unscientific, and absurd hypothesis. 



The Snipes and their nearest allies furnish some remark- 

 able instances in which it is impossible to believe that differ- 

 ences of structure date as far back as differences of colour. 

 The Painted Snipes [Rhynchcea) * of South Africa, India, 

 China, and Australia are precisely alike in colour. It is not 

 known that the males from any of these localities can be 

 distinguished from each other in any way. GoukFs suppo- 

 sition that the Painted Snipe from Australia has a shorter 

 foot than the others appears to be unfounded, now that a 

 large series of each have been examined. Nevertheless there 

 seems to be unimpeachable evidence that the females of the 

 Australian birds differ from those of Africa, India, and China 

 in having the trachea elongated and convoluted in a remark- 

 able manner, somewhat similar to that to be found in certain 

 Cranes_, Swans, and Geese. These birds may or may not be 

 regarded as generically distinct from their respective allies ; 

 but be that as it may, no one can imagine that the common 

 ancestors of the African and Australian Painted Snipes differed 

 in colour from their two groups of descendants, and that 

 consequently the two latter have independently developed a 

 perfectly similar series of colours complicated in character, 

 and differing to an unusual degree with age and sex. During 

 the period which must have elapsed before the convolutions 

 of the trachea could either have been lost in the African 

 birds, produced in the Australian birds, or modified by each 

 of them in opposite directions from an intermediate ancestral 



* The position which Sundevali has assigned to tliis genus — Letweeu 

 Ibklorhyncha (which is a slightly modified Oystercatcher) and Nunienius — 

 is one of many similar cases which amj)ly justify Professor Newton's 

 unfavourable criticism of that over-estimated systematist. 



