Mr. R. Swinhoe on Formosan OrnithologT/. 411 



distant. If this be a good species (and I am inclined to think 

 it is), it strikes me as rather a strange fact that two species of 

 true Numenius should be found indigenous to the same semi- 

 tropical island, the smaller species, or Whimbrel, ranging over 

 the southern portion, and the present species over the northern. 

 N. australis was very abundant on the Peking marshes in 

 August; but I have never met with it as a visitant in South 

 China, nor yet has it been recorded from Japan. The present 

 bird would appear to be a resident species ; and we cannot help 

 thinking that its differences from the typical N. australis may be 

 due to its isolation and inability to interbreed with its near ally. 



The only specimen I have of this interesting Curlew is at pre- 

 sent in the hands of Mr. Gould. I must therefore extract his 

 description of it from the ' Proceedings ' : — 



" Head, neck, upper and under surface reddish fawn-colour, 

 deepest and most conspicuous on the rump and tail-feathers ; 

 down the centre of each of the feathers of the neck and abdomen 

 is a streak of blackish brown, which becomes broader and more 

 conspicuous on the neck and breast ; primaries blackish brown, 

 strongly toothed on their inner margins with greyish white ; 

 tail-feathers irregularly crossed with blackish brown; thighs 

 light buff.'' 



I observe, on comparing my bird with a specimen of A^. aus- 

 tralis in Mr. Gould's collection, that mine has much thinner and 

 fewer black streaks on the neck and breast. 



139. Tringa cinclus, L. 



T. alpina, L. 



T. chinensis, Gray. 



My specimens from Formosa vary considerably in length and 

 curvature of bill, and proportions of legs ; but the summer plu- 

 mage, in which I procured several examples, proves them to be 

 nothing more than the true European Stint. I may here remark 

 that, owing to my specimens in winter plumage from China 

 having been wrongly identified, I have entered this species in 

 my previous lists as Tringa suharcuata. The true Pigmy Curlew 

 has been found near Peking ; but it visits rarely, if ever, the 

 southern coasts of China ; at least I do not recollect ever having 



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