TRINGA. GRALLATORES. TRINGA. 145 



AFTER a careful examination of the descriptions by various 

 authors, of the two small species of Tringa generally known 

 under the specific titles of Tringa pusilla and T. minuta, the 

 above list of synonyms appears to be strictly referable to the 

 first-mentioned species, which is also known to many as the 

 T. Temminckii) a name imposed by LEISLER, and adopted by 

 M. TEMMTNCK, in his excellent work the " Manuel d'Orni- 

 thologie," as well as in the " Planches Coloriees" of the same 

 author. In adopting LEISLER'S specific name for this bird, 

 I agree with that naturalist and M. TEMMINCK in consider- 

 ing it as distinct from the Tringa pusilla of LINNAEUS, al- 

 though LATHAM quotes that as synonymous with the Little 

 Sandpiper of his Synopsis, which latter certainly appears to 

 be the bird now under examination. Dr FLEMING, in his 

 History of British Animals, also retains the title of Pusilla 

 for this bird, stating, as his ground for which, that the cha- 

 racter of the tail identifies it with the Linnean species. In 

 this decision, I think he is not borne out by the terms used 

 by LINNAEUS, which are, " rectricibus extimis scapo albo ;" 

 whereas, to suit the T. Temminckii, they ought to be " rec- 

 tricibus extimis albis." The Linnean species is farther de- 

 scribed as " corpore subtus rufescente;" that is, with the un- 

 der parts of the body rufous or reddish a character by no 

 means applicable to the T. Temminckii at any period, or 

 change of plumage, but which is so to another exotic species. 

 The Little Sandpiper of the British Zoology, described as 

 having the tail dusky, I have ventured to assign to the next 

 species, as being more applicable to it ; and the same with 

 regard to the Brown Sandpiper of that work, which is dis- 

 tinctly stated as having the tail cinereous. The Little Sand- 

 piper described in the Appendix to MONTAGU'S Ornithologi- 

 cal Dictionary is retained, as it agrees in every particular 

 with the Tringa Temminckii of LEISLER, and of the " Ma- 

 nuel d'Ornithologie ;" but the bird described under the same 

 title in the Supplement to that work, I have transferred to the 

 Tringa minuta, of which species it appears to be the young. 



VOL. II. K 



