'\^'"l4^] THAYER AND BANGS — BIRDS 21- 



Orn. Brit. p. 3, 1771, based upon the spotted redshanks of Pen- 

 nant's British Zoology) for this species, as it seems to us that 

 Tringa erythropus Scopoh, which has been adopted by some to 

 replace the untenable Linnaean name Scolopax fuscus, contains in 

 the description too many points of absolute disparity. The wing 

 was described by Scopoli, as having the first seven quills black, the 

 secondaries white; the tail was said to be whitish with a black 

 terminal bar. These two characters alone absolutely preclude the 

 use of this name for the spotted redshanks. 



Our Eastern specimens differ in no wise from breeding birds from 

 Finmark. 



Xenus cinereus (Giildenot). 



Five adults of both sexes from Nijni Kolymsk, June 4-17, 1912. 



The Terek sandpiper arrived at Nijni Kolymsk, June 4, and soon 

 became common within the forest limits. It is evidently a late 

 breeder, as mating had just begun at the time of Mr. Koren's 

 departure from Nijni Kolymsk, June 21. Mr. Koren says that 

 in life, although of noticeably larger size, the Terek exactly re- 

 sembles in general appearance and peculiar behavior an Actitis. 



Mathews, in ' The Birds of Australia,' uses the genus Xenus for 

 the Terek, and considers the Eastern form to be separable as a sub- 

 species, as javanicus Horsfield. 



We follow him, for his own reason, — obedience to existing 

 Laws, — in the use of Xenus for Terekia, but we do so under protest, 

 as. ' Xenos ' and ' Xenus ' are of course one and the same word, 

 which having been once used as a generic term ought not to be 

 again. 



As to the supposed Eastern subspecies, we cannot see any reason 

 for believing that there is one, for Xenus cinereus is essentially an 

 Eastern bird, said by Seebohm not to breed west of Archangel and 

 to be only an accidental visitor on migration to western Europe. 



We have, however, seen no Western specimens, and may be 

 wrong. 



Our specimens afford the following measurements of the wing. — 

 Males, 130, 135, 131, 128; female, 140 mm. 



