128 Mr. H. Seebohiu on the Genus Scolopax. 



4. Scolopax rochusseni. 



The Moluccan Woodcock is confined to the small group 

 of islands the name of which it bears, whither it probably 

 emigrated from Japan. It is larger than our bird, and though 

 its primaries are barred, it has no bars on the breast or 

 under tail-coverts. 



5. Scolopax rosenbergi. 



The Papuan Woodcock is a resident in New Guinea. It 

 resembles the Javan Woodcock in being smaller than our 

 bird, Avith a longer bill and unbarred primaries, but it 

 resembles our bird as well as the Moluccan species in having 

 the first and second primaries nearly equal in length. 



These five species may fairly be regarded as forming a 

 subgeneric group to which the name of Woodcocks may be 

 applied. They seem to be more nearly related to each other 

 tlian to any of the other species in the genus, though the 

 next group presents so many points of similarity that the 

 homogeneous character of the genus Scolopax is well pre- 

 served. 



The Snipes which are most nearly allied to the Woodcocks 

 are presumably the seven species which have the tibia feathered 

 almost to the joint of the tarsus. They further resemble the 

 Woodcocks in having the claw of the hind toe remarkably 

 small, and the base of the bill remarkably deep, though 

 neither of these characters are capable of very clear defini- 

 tion. It is necessary to coin a name for this group of seven 

 species, and I propose to call them Semi-Woodcocks. 



6. Scolopax nemoricola. 



The Wood- Snipe appears to be entirely confined to India 

 and Burma, breeding at high elevations in the Himalayas 

 from Nepal to Assam, migrating in autumn to winter in 

 hilly districts further south in those countries. The nearest 

 allies of this species are, strange to say, S. jamesoni and 

 S. imperialis from the American Andes. The three species 

 have the whole of the underparts profusely barred, and the 

 outer web of the first primary plain brown like the inner 



