50 BIRD GALLERY. 



Family III. Attagid^. Seed-Snipes. 



[Oase 27.] This is another aberrant group of the Plover-tribe^ peculiar to South 

 America. Two distinct genera are recognised^ each of which is repre- 

 sented in the Case. Gay^s Seed-Snipe {Attagis gayi) (466) and 

 D'Orbigny's Seed-Snipe [Thinocorus orbignianus) (467) are both re- 

 markably unlike Plovers, the former especially bearing a marked 

 resemblance to the Tinamous. 



Family IV. CnARADRiiDiB. Plovers. (Plate VIII.) 



[Cases To this very large family belong all the Snipes, Sandpipers, and Plovers. 

 27, 28.] They may be divided into several subfamilies. The first {Phalaropinae) 

 includes the little Phalaropes, which inhabit the Arctic and Sub-polar 

 regions; they are extremely interesting birds, and the most aquatic 

 members of the Plover-tribe. As in the Grebes and Coots the toes 

 are lobed, and they are able to swim with ease and spend much of 

 their time on the water. The female is larger and more handsomely 

 coloured than the male, who undertakes the duties of incubation and 

 the care of the young. The Red-necked Phalarope {Phalaropus hyper- 

 boreus) (476) annually visits the British Islands, and still breeds on 

 some of the islets off the north and west coasts ; but the Grey 

 Phalarope {Crymophilus fulicarius) (469) is only an irregular visitor 

 to our shores, while Wilson's Phalarope {Steganopus tricolor) (468) 

 is a North American species. The great difference between the summer 

 and winter plumage of these birds is Avorth noting. 



A precisely similar reversal of the sexual characters is found in the 

 Painted Snipe {Rostratula capensis) (472), examples of which may be 

 seen on the shelf above. Generally these birds are regarded as true 

 Snipe, but they are probably more nearly allied to the Sandpipers. 

 Three species are recognised, and occur in Africa and Southern Asia, 

 Australia, and South America respectively. 



We now come to the true Snipe and Woodcocks, a cosmopolitan 

 group migratory in cold climates, distinguished by the peculiar round- 

 ness of the cranium, which brings the aperture of the ear directly 

 under the eye, and by the great length of the bill. The mottled plumage 

 is protective in character, harmonising with the bird's surroundings and 

 thus concealing it from enemies. The long bill is well supplied with 

 nerves and extremely sensitive to touch, and like that of many of the 

 Sandpipers is very flexible, especially at the tip. The Common Snipe 

 [Gallinago gallinago) (476) and the Woodcock {Scolopax rusticula) (471) 

 are both well-known British species, breeding throughout the Islands ; 

 while the Great, Double, or Solitary Snipe {Gallinago major) [All) and 



