Mr. H. Seebohra on the Genus Scolopax. 133 



16. Scolopax megala. 



Swinhoe's Snipe is a slightly larger bird (wing 5*4 to 5-6 

 inches), with rather fewer tail-feathers (twenty), and with the 

 outer four or five on each side not quite so much attenuated 

 (about -2 inch in width). It breeds in South-eastern Siberia 

 from Lake Baikal to the north island of Japan, and, passing 

 through China on migration, winters in the islands of the 

 Malay Archipelago. 



17. Scolopax australis. 



Latham's Snipe is the largest of the three (wing 60 to 

 6*5 inches), with the fewest tail-feathers, and with only two 

 attenuated tail-feathers on each side (about "2 inch in width). 

 It breeds in both islands of Japan, and passes the Philippine 

 Islands and the coast of China on migration to winter in 

 Australia and Tasmania. These three Snipes differ very 

 slightly in colour ; but, though they are very closely related 

 to each other, there seems to be no reason to doubt that they 

 are specifically distinct, Latham's Snipe is, however^ still 

 nearer to the Madagascar Snipe and the Noble Snipe of 

 South America. 



18. Scolopax nobilis. 



The Noble Snipe is only known from the plateaux of the 

 Andes of Ecuador and Colombia. It differs principally from 

 Latham's Snipe in having a shorter because more rounded 

 wing (first primary only exceeding the fourth in length by \ 

 instead of | inch), and by having a longer bill (4 inches or 

 more, instead of 3 inches or less), 



19. Scolopax nobilis macrodactyla *. 



It is not known that the Madagascar Snipe differs in any 

 way from its Colombian ally except in having fourteen in- 



* It is unusual to give the later name precedence over the earlier one, 

 but in the preseut case common sense demands that the rule be violated. 

 S. macrodactyla nobilis would imply a large variety of the Madagascar 

 Snipe, which would be erroneous ; »S'. nobilis macrodactyla means a variety 

 of the Nuble Snipe with a larger foot than usual, which is precisely the 

 state of the case. 



