RHYNCH^ENUS RIBES. 



575 



of India, of Southern Africa, and the isles to the east 

 of that continent, and there is one at least a native of 

 South America. They have the general air and gait 

 of the snipes ; but they diifer much from them in their 

 plumage, the colours of which are much more bril- 

 liant. In this respect, one remarkable character of 

 them is the occillated spots which mark the quills and 

 the tail-feathers ; the bill is also different in its struc- 

 ture. The generic characters may be stated as follow : 

 the bill longer than the head, enlarged at the tip, 

 much compressed, hooked at the tip ; the mandibles 

 of equal length and very slightly covered ; the upper 

 mandible furrowed for the whole of its length, and 

 the lower only toward its extremity ; the nasal grooves 

 continued for half the length of the bill, and the 

 nostrils linear and open ; the feet of mean length, the 

 tarsus longer than the middle front toe ; the toes four 

 in number ; three to the front, totally divided from 

 each other for the whole of their length, and one to 

 the rear articulated higher upon the tarsus than the 

 front ones ; the wings of ample dimensions ; the 

 first, second, and third quills nearly of the same 

 length with each other, and larger than any of the 

 rest. 



R. Capcnsis, the Cape snipe of some authors, is a 

 bird about ten inches in length. The tipper parts 

 are of a bluish-grey colour waved with black ; there are 

 five bands on the head, one reddish, two grey, and 

 two white ; there is a broad band of black on the 

 upper part of the breast ; the belly is white ; the 

 coverts of the wings are ash, the lateral ones marked 

 with four eye-spots of yellow, and the bill and feet 

 brown. This species is subject to considerable dif- 

 ferences of colour at different ages ; and it has ac- 

 cordingly been figured and described as two if not 

 as three species ; the mature bird being Capensis of 

 authors, the \o\.i\\gVaricgata, and the intermediate stage 

 being recognised as another variety if not species. 



R. Sineiisis. This, as the name imports, is a native 

 of China. It is a smaller bird than the African 

 one, being only nine inches in length ; and it is also 

 richer in the colouring ; the upper parts are brown, 

 spotted and streaked with red, bluish, and black : the 

 head is streaked with black and white ; the neck is 

 mottled with grey, and v/hitish ; the under parts are 

 white, with a large gorget of black upon the breast ; 

 the bill and feet are black. The present species is a 

 very pretty bird. 



R. Indica is of the same dimensions as the Cape 

 one, namely, ten inches in length. The upper parts are 

 greyish-brown, without any wavings, lines, or spots of 

 another colour ; the head is white, slightly clouded 

 with greyish-ash on the crown, and having two streaks 

 of grey on the sides ; the neck and breast are white, 

 spotted with grey ; the greater coverts of the wings 

 arc crossed by bands of black; the throat and belly 

 are white, and the bill and feet black. 



R. Madagascarensis is nine inches in length, and 

 although some have considered it the same as the 

 first-mentioned species, or, at all events, called it by 

 the same specific name Capcnsis, it appears to be dis- 

 tinct. The upper parts are varied with black and 

 grey, with some red on the coverts of the win<rs ; 

 there is a double streak, one part black and the other 

 white, over the eye, and another of the same colours 

 on the neck ; the coverts and quills are brown rayed 

 with black, and having upon them four eye-spots of 

 red, with black margins ; the under parts are white, 

 and the bill and feet black ; various writers upon 



birds, and Temminck among the rest, who is usually 

 correct to the very minutiae of species, are of opinion 

 that all of those which we have noticed are one and 

 the same bird in different states of its plumage ; and 

 certainly the differences which we observe among 

 them are not greater than those which occur in the 

 same species among birds with which we are better 

 acquainted. Altogether, indeed, they are birds of 

 whose nature and habits we know very little. From 

 the countries which they inhabit, we might be led to 

 conclude that, at some seasons at least, they can feed 

 upon pastures much more dry than those that are 

 usually resorted to by the snipes ; but information is 

 wanted before any certain conclusion can be arrived 

 at respecting them. 



RHYNCH^ENUS (Fabricius). An extensive 

 genus of Coleopterous insects, belonging to the sec- 

 tion Tetramera and family Curculionidce, having the 

 antenna? strongly elbowed, and ten, eleven, or twelve- 

 jointed, the three last forming a club ; the rostrum 

 long and deflexed, with the antennae inserted near 

 the middle ; the body of an oval or rounded form, 

 and the legs long, the tibiae generally having a curved 

 terminal hook. The genus has been greatly sub- 

 divided by Schonherr and other recent authors. 



RHYNCHITES (Herbst). A beautiful genus 

 of coleopterous insects, belonging to the section 

 Tetramera, family Curculionidcc, and sub-family Atte- 

 labides, in the article upon which we have given the 

 characters and figured the genus ; and in the article 

 CuRcaLioNio^E, we have given an account of the 

 destructive habits of the RJnjnchites Bacchus. 



RHYNCOPHORA (Latreille). A sub-section 

 of coleopterous insects, distinguished by having the 

 head anteriorly produced into a snout or muzzle, with 

 the mouth placed at its extremity. This sub-section 

 corresponds with the Linna^an genus Bruchus, Atte- 

 labus, and Curculice ; of the arrangement of which 

 we have already given a sketch in the article CUR- 



CULIONID^E. 



RH YNSCHOSI A (Loureira). A genus of North 

 American arid tropical plants, mostly climbers, and 

 belonging to LegnminoscE. This genus was called 

 Glycinc by De Candolle and other botanists ; but 

 Loureira's name has been generally adopted. The 

 greenhouse species thrive in sand and moor-earth, 

 and are propagated by cuttings. 



RHYPHUS (Latreille). " A genus of dipterous 

 insects belonging to the family Tipulida;, having the 

 antenna? short, sixteen-jointed ; the proboscis ad- 

 vanced, cylindric, and rather shorter than the head ; 

 the ocelli three in number, and of equal size ; the 

 legs of unequal size, the posterior being the largest. 

 There are two or three species which frequent the 

 windows of our apartments, distinguished by their 

 spotted wings. The larva?, according to Reaumer, 

 frequent cow-dunp. 



RIBES (Linnteus). A genus of shrubs found in 

 many places of the northern hemisphere, of which 

 the various species of the currant, and gooseberry are 

 familiarly known. The flowers are pentanclrous, and 

 the genus gives a title to a natural order, viz. Grossu- 

 lariefE. There are several varieties of the common 

 useful currant, and those of the gooseberry are innu- 

 merable. Both the currant and gooseberry are 

 wholesome and useful fruits, and are applied to many 

 economical purposes. The old varieties are per- 

 petuated by cuttings, and new varieties are obtained 

 from seed. The best currants are the Dutch white 



