BIRDS — SCOLO PACIDAE — EEEUNETES PETRIFICATUS. 



725 



Sp. Ch. — Smaller; bill about the length of the head ; rather thicker than usual in this group; both mandibles somewhat 

 expanded and flattened at the tip, and minutely punetulated, as in the genera Scolopax and GaHimigo. Wings long ; legs moderate, 

 rather slender ; toes united at base by a membrane, which is large, between the outer and middle toes extending to the first 

 joint; hind toe small; tail short, with the middle feathers longest ; outer feathers frequently longer than the third, presenting a 

 doubly emarginate character to the tail ; under coverts nearly as long as the tail. Upper parts light brownish ashy, with 

 lanceolate or ovate spots of brownish black in the middle of the feathers ; rump and upper tail coverts black. Front, band of 

 the eye, and entire under parts, ashy white, with small spots on the breast of ashy brown ; quills brownish black, lighter on their 

 inner webs, and with their shafts white ; middle feathers of the tail brownish black : outer feathers pale brownish ashy ; under 

 wing coverts and axillaries white ; bill greenish black ; feet dark, the lower part of the tarsus and toes frequently tinged with 

 yellow. Upper parts in summer mixed with light reddish. Total length, about G.J inches ; wing, 33 ; tail, \% ; bill from gape, | ; 

 tarsus, I to 1 inch. 



Hab — Entire temperate regions of North America, South America. 



This abundant little species is singularly variable in the length of its bill, so much so, in 

 fact, that a student with two specimens representing extremes in this particular would deem it 

 quite impossible that they could be identical specifically. We have before us, however, inter- 

 mediates of quite a variety of dimensions. 



On shortness of bill as a character Prof. Gundlach founded his species minor, as above cited. 

 The shortest billed specimen in the present collection is Mr. Kennicott's, from Illinois. 



We have little doubt that this bird is the true Tringa pusilla of Linnaeus, as cited above, the 

 proper locating of which name has puzzled naturalists not a little. This name is applied by 

 Linnaeus to the bird described and figured by Brisson as above given, examination of whose 

 figure will show that he was very careful in giving the toes united by membranes at base. This 

 character exclusively characterizes the species before us, amongst all the smaller sandpipers of 

 the continent of America, so far as our knowledge extends. Brisson describes, however, 

 specimens from the island of Saint Uomingo, from which, nor from any other island of the 

 West Indies, we have never seen specimens. 



Specimens of this bird from various parts of South America are in the museum of the 

 Philadelphia Academy. 



The Heterepoda mauri of Bonaparte appears to be merely a larger race of the present species. 



List of specimens. 



