138 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax. 



World it appears that many individuals never crossed the 

 line, but, adopting migratory liabits, followed the retreating 

 cold almost to tlieir old quarters, and in consequence of 

 their more changed conditions of life have themselves under- 

 gone a somewhat greater change, and are now the Common 

 and American Snipe respectively. 



The South-American form of the Common Snipe has an 

 extended range, and varies to some extent in consequence. 

 The Chilian Snipe appears to be confined to the highlands 

 of Bolivia, Chili, the Argentine Republic, and Paraguay. In 

 the latter country it meets with a very close ally — 



22. Scolopax frenata brasiliensis. 



The Brazilian Snipe is merely a small form of the preced- 

 ing (wing 4^ to 5 inches, instead of 5 to 6 inches). Its 

 range extends from Paraguay, through Brazil, to Guiana 

 and Venezuela. 



23. Scolopax frenata magellanica. 



The Falkland-Island Snipe is merely a pale form of the 

 Chilian Snipe, breeding on the Falkland Islands and near 

 the Straits of Magellan, migrating northwards in autumn 

 along the east coast of South America as far north as Rio de 

 Janeiro. These three Snipes do not differ in length of bill, 

 which varies from 2"4 to 2*8 inches. 



24. Scolopax frenata andina. 



In the Peruvian Andes a Snipe occurs which we may call 

 the Peruvian Snipe, combining the small dimensions of the 

 Brazilian Snipe with a bill of only 2 inches in length. 



The last half-dozen species or subspecies of Snipe can 

 scarcely be regarded as more than tropical forms of the 

 Common Snipe. They vary very slightly in colour or pattern 

 of colour, the variation between the species being scarcely 

 greater than those within each species. It is a very remark- 

 able fact that in a genus like Scolopax, containing twenty or 

 thirty species distributed almost over the whole world, the 

 variation in colour sliould be so small; and the fact is all the 

 more remarkable when we discover that within the limits of 



