f 



PECTORAL SANDPIPER. 347 



proper to represent subgeneric divisions. Ornithologists will perceive 

 at once from this that our genus thus constituted reunites in a natural 

 group species that vrere dispersed by Linn^ in his genera Tringa Scolo- 

 pax and Charadrius ; and even some that Latham placed in his restricted 

 genus Numenius. It coincides more nearly with the better formed genus 

 Tringa of Brisson, and especially of Vieillot, Temminck, and Ranzani, 

 but with the addition of their Arenaria or Calidris ; and with the same 

 addition, is wholly included in the Actitis of Illiger ; although that 

 learned systematist does not cite under his comprehensive genus a single 

 typical Tringa, and probably never examined one, as they do not pos- 

 sess the character he assigns to the group " pedes coUigati." Our 

 Tringa embraces and is formed of the groups Calidris, Pelidna, Falci- 

 7tc!his, Machetes, Eurynorhyncus and Arenaria of Cuvier ; and we sub- 

 divide it pretty nearly into these very groups, which we regard as 

 subgenera, adding moreover to them another which we call Hemipalama. 



All our Tringce have a bill compressed at the base, with both mandi- 

 bles furrowed each side their whole length, the lower a little the shorter : • 

 the nostrils are in the furrows, basal, linear, and pervious, but half 

 closed by a membrane : their tongue is moderately long, slender, subfili- 

 form, canaliculated above, entire and acute. The tarsus is slender, 

 longer, or subequal to the middle toe, and always scutellated : the fore 

 toes rather elongated, and slender, the hind toe when present, is ex- 

 tremely short, slender, much elevated, and hardly reaching the ground : 

 the nails are moderate, compressed, curved and acute. The wings 

 moderate for this family, though in reality long, with the first primary 

 longest ; the tertials and scapulars shorter than the primaries. The 

 tail is rather short, subequal to the wings when closed, and always of 

 twelve feathers and no more. 



With the exception of the subgenera Falcinellus, distinguished by an 

 arched bill, and Calidris, by a short, straight one, and both three-toed, 

 all our Tringce are tetradactyle, having the short hind tee. With the 

 exception of my subgenus Hemipalama, whose character is to have the 

 fore toes all connected at base by a membrane, and of Machetes, which 

 has only the outer ones connected, all the Tringce have the feet cleft to 

 the base. Of the species that remain after the separation of these four 

 well marked groups, and which are still the most numerous, we form our 

 subgenus Tringa. We must not however pass by unnoticed the Eury- 

 norhyncus of Nilsson, a group so important as perhaps to merit generic 

 distinction : it is the Platalea pygmcea of Linnd, of which a single speci- 

 men of uncertain nativity is known.* In this, by an extreme develop- 

 ment of the Tringa character, the bill is remarkably flattened and 

 widened at tip, somewhat in the manner of the Spoonbill. 



* See Thunberg, At. Sv. Holm. 1816, p. 194, tab. vi. 



