little-known Limicolae. 429 



larum est, dari in genere, ubi altera species maxima; simile 

 exemplum iion novi/' A comparison, however, shows that 

 beyond this resemblance it has really no connexion with Pla- 

 talea. Its affinities, as pointed out by Cuvier and Tem- 

 minck, are certainly with the genus Tringa. Bonaparte, in 

 his 'Tableaux paralleliques des Echassiers,' has placed it be- 

 tween Calidris arenaria and Tringa platyrhyncha', but while 

 assenting to the generic relationship claimed for it, I venture to 

 demur only to the species near which it has been placed. The 

 Tringinee may be conveniently divided into two large groups — 

 the one comprising those species which adopt a rufous plumage 

 in the breeding-time, the other those which assume a blackish 

 dress at the same season. It will be found, on separating a series 

 in this way, that the species thus brought together have other 

 characters in common besides the peculiar seasonal change of 

 colour. Taking into consideration, therefore, not only the 

 structure but likewise the character of the nuptial plumage, the 

 conclusion at which I arrive is, that the species now before us 

 should be placed between Ereunetes petrificatus, Illiger, and 

 Tringa subarcuata. At the same time, it differs sufficiently from 

 both to justify the course which Nilsson adopted in forming 

 for its reception the new genus Eurgnorhynchus. In this genus 

 it at present stands alone. 



Gmelin, Latham, and Shaw all followed Linnseus in their de- 

 scription of this bird; and, indeed, until the year 1836 it does 

 not appear that any other than the original type- specimen 

 existed'^. It is very doubtful whether Bancroft, who in 1769 

 published an ' Essay on the Natural History of Guiana,' was ac- 

 quainted with this bird, although under the name of Platalea 

 he describes (p. 171) a small species of the group Limicolte. We 

 may consider his remarks from two points of view. In treating 

 of the ornithology of Guiana, he may have included Platalea 

 pygmcea in his list of species only because Linnaeus had erro- 

 neously supposed that its habitat was Surinam. On the other 

 hand, if we give him credit for having described such species 



* According to Prof. Lilljeborg, in 1860 this specimen was still in the 

 Museum fit Upsala {cf. Journ. f. Orn. 1800, p. 299). 



