BIRDS — PHALAROPODIDAE — ^PHALAROPUS AVILSONII. 705 



Family PHALAROrODIDAE. 



The general characters of the Phalaropodidae have already been given on page G89. The 

 original and single genus Phalaropus has been divided by systematists into three, with the 

 following characters : 



A. Bill slender, attenuated, rounded, longer than the head. 



Steganoi'US, Vieillot.i — Marginal membrane of toes nearly even. 

 LoBiPES, Cuv.^ — Membrane of the toes scolloped at the joints. 



B. Bill much depressed or flattened ; broader than high ; the apex lancet-shaped. 



Phalaropus, Briss.* — Membrane of toes scolloped at the joints. 



Steganopus, V i e i 11 o t . 

 PHALAROPUS WILSONII, Sab. 



Wilson's Phalarope. 



Phalaropus wUsonii, Sab. ZooI. App. to Franklin's first journey to Polar seas, 1823, 691. — Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 

 1831, 405; pi. Ixix.— Aud. Orn. Biog.— Ib. Birds Amer. V, 1842, 299 ; pi. 341.— Gray's 

 Genera III, pi. clviii. 



Phalaropus { Holopodius) wilsonii, Bon. Syn. 1828, 342. — Is. Am. Orn. IV, 1832, 59 ; pi. xxiv and xxv. 



Phalaropus lobatus, Wilson, Am. Orn. IX, 1825, 72. (Not Linnaeus.) 



Phalaropus fnnalus, Vieill. Gal. II, 1825, 178. 



Phalaropus stenodactijlus, Wagler, Isis, 1831, 523. 



Lobipes iticanus, Jard. & Selbt, 111. Orn. I, p. (No pa^e nor date.) 



Phalaropus fimbriatus, Temm. PI. Col. V, p. (No page.) 



Figdres.— Wilson, Am. Orn. IX, pi. 73, fig. 3.— Sw. and Rich. Faun. Bor. Am. Birds, pi. 69.— Vieill. Gal. II, pi. 271.— 

 Temm. PI. Col. 270.— Aud. B. of Am. pi. 254 ; oct. ed. V, pi. 341. 



Sp. Ch. — Larger than either of the preceding. Bill slender, flattened; wings long; tail short; legs moderate; tarsus 

 compressed ; plumage very compact. Adult. Head above and neck behind light ashy ; wide stripe behind the eye reddish 

 black ; neck before, and wide stripe running upwards on to the back, bright reddish brown, darker on the sides of the neck. 

 Back, wings, and tail, cinereous ; darkest on the wings, and mixed with reddish on the back ; rump and upper tail coverts 

 white. Entire under parts white, (except the neck before, which is pale reddish.) Bill and legs black. Your),g. Entire upper parts 

 cinereous, more or less mixed with dark brown ; under parts white, tinged with ashy, especially about the head and neck ; 

 'ump white. Total length, about 9^ inches ; wing,j5J ; tail, 2j ; bill, 1| ; tarsus, 1* inch. 



Hab — Entire temperate regions of North America ; New Mexico. (Dr. Henry.) 



The only species that appears to be more especially American, though wandering into 

 contiguous regions of the Old World. Very handsome in mature i^lumage, and apparently 

 about equally distributed on the eastern and western coasts of the republic. 



^Steganopus, Vieill. Encycl, Meth. 1823. Type Phalaropus lobatus, Wils. Holopodius, Bon. Syn. 1828. 



'Lobipes, Cvy. R. Anim. 1817. Type Tringa hyperborea, L,. 



'Phalaropus, Briss. Orn. 1760. Type Triiiga fulicaria, L. Crymophilus, Vieill. 1816. 



Aagnst 4, 1858. 



89 b 



