PAINTED SNIPE. 119 



tinction to these, the Avocets and Stilts occur in tropical and subtropical regions 

 of the world and in this family Australia has three species referable to three genera, 

 the whole number admitted, and one of which is restricted to Australia. 



The osteological items vary in this superfamily as detailed under the suborder 

 and little attention has yet been paid to this matter. Lowe has recently begun a 

 series of articles but the material available is not sufficient to determine the debat- 

 able items accurately. At the present time the superficial details hereafter given 

 are of considerably more importance than the variable and inconstant anatomical 

 items recorded. 



FAMILY ROSTRATULID^E. 



Mathews separated the Painted Snipe with family rank from a study of the 

 superficial features and Ridgway has since suggested its separation also. The 

 superficial features are those given for the genus which has the extraordinary range 

 of South America, South Africa, South Asia and Australia, and the species are very 

 difficult to distinguish. The females are larger and more beautifully feathered than 

 the males, who have to undertake the duties of incubation, while the female is said 

 to be polyandric. The windpipe is convoluted in the adult female, but not in the 

 male or immature female. 



Recently Lowe has published some notes on the osteology of the genus, especially 

 as regards the skull and has concluded it "is neither Scolopacine nor Ralline. It 

 is, however, Limicoline, possibly a surviving relic of a primitive Limicoline stock." 

 The palate is schizognathous and the nasals schizorhinal ; there are well -developed 

 basipterygoid processes, occipital foramina and indistinct supraorbital grooves. 

 The premaxilla is quite peculiar when compared with that of other Scolopacoid forms. 



Genus ROSTRATULA. 



Rostratula Vieillot, Analyse nouv. Ornith., p. 56, April 14th, 1816. Type (by monotypy) : 

 Becassine de Madagascar Buff on = Scolopax capensis Linn6. 



Rhynchcea Cuvier, Regne Anim., Vol. I., p. 487, Dec. 7th, 1816. Type (by monotypy) : 

 Scolopax capensis Linne. 



Rostratuline birds with long decurved bills, long wings, long legs and feet. 



The bill is long, hard, narrow, and decurved at the tip ; a deep narrow groove 

 extends more than half-way along the sides of the upper mandible and ends abruptly ; 

 the bill is narrow at the base and about the same width all the way, somewhat 

 flattened immediately after the ending of the groove, but then the tip is obsoletely 

 keeled with a slight grooving at the sides ; the under mandible can scarcely be said 

 to be grooved, but shallowly channelled on the side, and the tip of the same form as 

 that of the upper mandible. The culmen is less than one-third the length of the 

 wing and about equal to the metatarsus, which is longer than the middle toe. 



The wing is somewhat concave though the first primary is longest, the second 

 and third being little shorter. 



The metatarsus is scutellate in front and behind with part of the tibia 

 unfeathered ; the toes are long with no interwebbing ; the tail is short, composed 

 of sixteen feathers. We can see no close relationship between the birds of this 

 genus and Gallinagine birds. 



82. Rostratula australis. PAINTED SNIPE. 



Gould, Vol. VI., pi. 41 (pt. ix.), Dec. 1st, 1842. Mathews, Vol. III., pt. 4, pi. 168, Dec. 31st, 



1913. 



Rhynchcea australis Gould, Synops. Birds Austr., pt. iv., App., p. 6, April 1st, 1838 : New 



South Wales. 



Rostratula australis fitzroyi Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. I., pt. 4, p. 85, Sept. 18th, 1912 : 



Parry's Creek, North-west Australia. 



DISTRIBUTION. Australia generally and Tasmania. 



