of the United States. 



of these States, which thus comprises all the species that have 

 hitherto been well ascertained. A> all the details relative to 

 these interesting birds wil be found in my Synopsis, and in 

 the third volume of my Am. Orn. where the l J h. hypcrbnreus 

 will be correctly represented, we ^.ha 11 only in 

 show by short, but characteristic and distinctive phrases, 

 taken from specimens now before us, the striking differences 

 between these unaccountably confounded species, without 

 reference to their plumage, which is subject to ?,o many ex- 

 traordinary changes according to age and season. 



1. Phai.aropus wii.somi. Sabine. Bill long, (one inch and 

 three-eighths) slender, subulate; toes narrowly banded with 

 entire membranes. Length nine and half inches. 



2. Phai.aropus hyperboreus,* Latham. Bill moderate, (one 

 inch) slender, subulate ; toes broadly bordered with deeply 

 scalloped membranes. Length seven and one third inches. 



3. Phalaropus fumcahius, Nob. Bill moderate, (one inch) 

 stout, depressed; toes bordered with deeply scalloped mem- 

 branes. 



Since writing the above, I have received Plate 370 of the 

 "Planches Colori es" of Temminck and Laugier, which I 

 recognise as our Ph. Wilsonii. On referring to the text, I 

 find that Temminck has considered it as a new species. He 

 could certainly never have perused Sabine's Appendix to 

 Capt. Franklin's Expedition, otherwise he must have been 



* After much reflection we have decided to retain this name, which is 

 universally adopted, and also used by Linne in his 1 2th ed., ailhough that 

 of lobatus only is found in the 10th. Moreover, in adopting lobatus, we 

 should have been compelled to quote our own authority, the P. lob. tus ot" 

 Latham being the fulicarius ; and the P. lobatus of Ord, the P. Wilsonii; 

 thus the name lobatus would have been successively applied to all the 

 species, whilst hyperboreus was never misapplied. 



