THE PHALAROPES. 193 



Coots or Grebes. They have also another character which is 

 Grebe-like, and which I have not yet seen recorded, viz., that 

 on the hinder aspect or " sole " of the tarsus (planta tarsi} 

 there is a distinctly coarse serration or pectination. Added 

 to these characters, it must be noticed that the Phalaropes are 

 adepts at swimming, and I have, therefore, in the " Catalogue 

 of Birds," placed them at the very end of the Plovers, as a con- 

 nective link between these birds and the Grebes. Another 

 peculiarity is that the female Phalarope is always larger and 

 more brightly coloured than the male. 



THE TRUE PHALAROPES. GENUS CRYMOPIIILUS. 



Crymophilus, Vieill. Analyse, p. 62 (1816). 



Type, C.fulicarius (L.). 



In the present genus the bill is rather flat and slightly 

 widened towards the tip, the culmen being about equal in 

 length to the tarsus, which is again equal to the middle toe 

 and claw. 



I. THE GREY PHALAROPE. CRYMOPHILUS FULICARIUS. 



Tringafulicaria^ Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 249 (1766). 



Phalaropus lobatus, L. ; Macgill. Brit. B. iv. p. 284 (1852). 



Fhalaropus fulicarius, Dresser, B. Eur. vii. p. 606, pi. 538 

 (1874) ; B. O. U. List Brit. B. p. 164 (1883) ; Saunders, 

 ed. Yarrell's Brit. B. iii. p. 310 (1883); Seebohm, Hist. 

 Brit. B. iii. p. 85 (1885) ; Saunders, Man. Brit. B. p. 549 

 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B. part xxx. (1895). 



(Plate LXXXIV.) 



Adult Female in Breeding Plumage General colour above sandy- 

 buff, streaked with black centres to the feathers ; scapulars like 

 the back ; lower back dark slate-colour ; rump and upper tail- 

 coverts chestnut with black centres to many of the feathers ; 

 some of the tail-coverts slaty-grey with sandy margins ; lesser 

 wing-coverts slaty-blue, with whitish edgings; the median 

 series and greater coverts broadly tipped with white ; bastard- 

 wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish with white shafts, 



ii o 



