Avifauna of New Caledonia, 533 



63. ScHffiNICLUS AUSTRALIS (Gould) . 



M. Marie states he procured this species, but we have seen 

 no other waders than those enumerated. 



64. Strepsilas interpres (L.). 



The ''Turnstone^' has been shot by L. L. on "Duck 

 Island " (where he found C. fulvus) on several occasions ; all 

 have, however, been in non-breeding plumage. 



65. NUMENIUS UROPYGIALIS, Gould. 



Rare. Shot by L. L. at Ansevata. We have been long 

 puzzled about the identity of this species, which we also pro- 

 cured at Fiji, and then identified with N. femoralis of Peale; 

 but as we never could find the " long fine hairs terminating 

 the tibial feathers,^' we relegated our specimens to N. tahi- 

 tiensis of Gmelin, which was said to be found in Polynesia. 

 An article by our collaborateur (Canon Tristram) on some birds 

 from the Marquesas Islands (Ibis, 1881, p. 251) has, how- 

 ever, again revived our old suspicions, and we see that he has 

 nearly come to the same conclusion as we have, namely, that 

 N. tahitiensis of Gmelin and N. femoralis of Peale are one 

 and the same species. But a statement of our friend^s puzzles 

 us. He writes : — " The peculiar termination of the tibial 

 plumes probably escaped the notice of the earlier writers ; 

 but their description of the plumage, and especially the chest- 

 nut rump"^ , well agrees with Peale's bird.^' On reading this 

 we were so amazed that we instantly rushed off to our book- 

 case and hauled out Gassings ' Ornithology of the United- 

 States Exploring Expedition ' and the folio volume of the 

 plates, for both of which we are indebted to the kind courtesy 

 of Prof. Baird, of the National Museum at Philadelphia. 



Our fears for our sanity were relieved when we saw the 

 plate and read Cassin's own description of the bird as fol- 

 lows : — " Back, rump, and wing-coverts dark umber-brown, 

 nearly every feather edged and spotted, especially on their 

 inner webs, with dull fulvous.'^ Where our friend got the 

 " chestnut rump " from we cannot conceive. If his specimen 

 has it, we certainly do not think it can be N. tibialis, Peale. 



* The italicr' are ours. 

 SER. IV. VOL. VI. 2o 



