1822.] Bewick’s History of British Birds. 303 
to one element more than another, their structure, form, and 
habits, would seem to consign them to the land rather than to 
the water. The feet of the great plover, which bird is retained 
as a land bird, are much more webbed than those of many 
tringe and scolopaces. The imperfect web may, while it serves 
{o prevent them sinking deep in soft muddy places, be also a 
safeguard in the event of an accidental plunge into the water. 
Water Birds. 
Gallinula Foljambei—Montagu. Olivaceous Gallinale. Gal- 
linula Minuta. Little Gallinule.—These two are not promi- 
nently discriminated. According to Montagu, the length of 
the former is 72 inches ; that of the latter, 74 inches ; with the 
rest of the markings very much alike, or, at least, not more 
dissimilar than what might be supposed to arise from age, sex, 
or variety. The rallus porzana—Lin. the R. Aquaticus minor— 
Briss. seems, in some particulars, to come very near to the 
G. Foljambei, though we are far from proposing to strike Mon- 
tagu’s bird out of the list. 
Ardea Minuta—Lin. Blougios de Suisse—Buf. Little 
Bittern.—It may be that we are accustomed to associate ideas 
of great size and height with all the members of this tall 
slender race ; but the figure here conveys the notion of a larger 
bird than the description warrants, the body being the size of 
a thrush only. For this defect, however, there is no remedy 
but description. The bird here figured is a male; the one in 
the body of the work appears to have been a female. 
Tringa Pygmea—Mont. Ornith. Dict. Pigmy Sand-piper, 
or Pigmy Curlew.—This is the Scolopax Pygmaa of the Syst. 
Nat. (Gmel.) British Ornithology owes the present arrange- 
ment to Montagu. Whatever be the reasons for taking it from 
the genus scolopax, and ranking it as a tringa, its general 
aspect proclaims it more allied to the scolopax (or rather to the 
new genus numenius) or curlew. 
Tringa Islandica—Lin. (Gm.) Red Sand-piper. 
Tringa Hyperborea—Lin. Phalarope Cendré—Buf. Red- 
necked Phalarope.—Brisson, Buffon, Pennant, and Latham, 
call this simply the red phalarope. Such authorities should 
invariably give currency to a name, unless there be very urgent 
reasons indeed to the contrary. 
Alca Pica—Lin. Petit Pingouin—Buf. Black Billed Awk. 
Sterna Fissipes—Lin. Epouvantail—Buf. Black Tern.— 
Montagu identifies this with the sterna nigra. 
Sterna Dugalli—Montagu. Roseate Tern.—Introduced by 
Montagu as an undescribed species: it was presented to him 
by Dr. Macdougall ‘of Glasgow, by whom it was shot in the 
est Highlands of Scotland in 1812. It has been met with in 
the Fero Islands. We may observe, that the pro ressive 
stages, and the fluctuations (if any) of plumage of the tern 
