THE PHALAROPES 



[ORDER: Charadriiformes. SUBORDER: Limicolce. FAMILY: Charadriidce. 



SUBFAMILY: Phalaropodince] 



PRELIMINARY CLASSIFIED NOTES 



[W. FARREN. F. C. R. JOURDAIN. W. P. PYCRAFT. A. L. THOMSON] 



GREY-PHALAROPE \Phaldropus julicdrius (Linnaeus). French, phalarope 

 gris ; German, plattschndbliger Wassertreter ; Italian, falaropo rosso]. 



i. Description. Of the two species of phalaropes, identified at a glance 

 by their relatively small size and by the coot-like lobes to the toes, the present 

 species is distinguished from its congener in being conspicuously larger and by the 

 shape of the beak, which is slightly flattened and widened at the tip. The female 

 is larger and more brightly coloured than the male, and there is a distinct seasonal 

 change of coloration. (PI. 112.) Length 8*25 in. [209*55 mm.]. The adult, in summer, 

 has the top of the head and nape and hind-neck black, and the lower back dark 

 slate colour ; the interscapulars, scapulars, innermost major-coverts, and long inner 

 secondaries black broadly margined with sandy buff, and the outer major coverts 

 dark grey with a broad terminal bar of white ; the remaining wing-coverts slate- 

 blue. The primaries dusky, with more or less white at the base of the outer web ; 

 the outer secondaries white shading into blackish towards the outer webs, the 

 innermost secondaries dark slate with sandy buff margins. The centre tail feathers 

 blackish with sandy buff margins, the outer feathers dark grey margined with 

 white, the outermost tinged with chestnut towards the tip ; tail-coverts black 

 margined with buff, save the longest, which are chestnut. The forehead, lores, 

 anterior part of the face, chin, and upper throat dark slate colour ; the sides of the 

 face, around the eyes and ear-coverts white ; the under parts, including the sides 

 of the neck, from the throat backwards, rich reddish chestnut. Beak yellow, 

 black at the tip, legs olive-brown, iris dark brown. The male differs from the female 

 in having the chestnut of the under parts duller, more or less intermixed with 



VOL. III. 2 K 



