304 ]\Ir. J. E. Halting un rare or 



XXVII. — On rare or little-known Liniicolae. 

 By James Edmund Hahting, F.L.S., F.Z.S. 

 (Plate VIII.) 

 Next to the interest which attaches to the discovery of new 

 species, may be considered that which arises from the acquisition 

 of species which are rare or little known ; and the latter term is 

 perhaps no where so well applied as to certain species of Wading 

 birds belonging to the group Limiculce. 



Nitzsch, in his excellent work on Pterylography, a trans- 

 lation of which has lately been published by the Ray Society, 

 first employed the term Limicolce to comprehend the families 

 Charadriida and ScolopacidcB ; and, admitting that these families 

 form a very natural and independent group, it will be convenient, 

 when referring to them, to make use of the terra which he has 

 suggested. 



I propose, as opportunity may serve, to endeavour to elucidate 

 the history of certain species of this group, by shortly stating 

 all the reliable information which I can collect regarding their 

 true habitat, geographical range, change of plumage, and habits 

 generally, and at the same time to rectify the synonymy, which 

 in many instances is extremely confused and perplexing. The 

 recent acquisition of a rare bird belonging to this class, from New 

 Zealand, has prompted me to lay before the readers of * The Ibis,' 

 in the present paper, all that is at present known respecting it. 



1. Anarhynchus frontalis. 



Anarhyuchus frontalis, Quoy & Gaimard, Voy. de I' Astrolabe, 

 Zool. i. p. 252 (1830), pi. 31. fig. 2 (1833); Lesson, Traite 

 d'Om. p. 560 (1831); /f/.Compl. Buffoon, ii. p. 682 (1840) ; G. 

 R. Gray, Append. Dieffenbach, Travels N. Zealand, ii. p. 196 

 (1843) ; Id. Voy. Ereb. & Terr. Birds, p. 12 (1844) ; Reichen- 

 bach, Av. Syst. Nat. Grail, pl.xvii. (1849) ; Bonaparte, Comptes 

 Rend. 1856, p. 597, no. 96 ; Harting, Pioc. Zool. Soc. May 27, 

 1869. 



Thinornis frontalis, G. R. Gray, Gen. B. iii. p. 545 (1848). 



Charadrius frontalis, G. R. Gray, Ibis, 1862, p. 234*; Buller, 

 Essay Orn. N. Zeal. p. 16 (1865). 



* The rei'ereuce '■' Charadrius fronlalis, Eilman, Zool. 1861, p. 7460," 



