128 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



Genus EROLIA. 



Erolia Vieillot, Analyse nouv. Ornith., p. 55, April 14th, 1816. Type (by monotypy) : 



Erolia variegata Vieillot = Tringa ferrugtnea Briinnich. 



Falcinellus Cuvier, Begne Anim., Vol. I., p. 486 [1817 =] Dec. 7th, 1816. Type (by mono- 



typy) : Scol. pygmea Lin. [ = Gmelin] = T. ferruginea Briinnich. 



Not of Vieillot, Analyse nouv. Ornith., p. 47, April 1816. 



Ancylocheilus Kaup, Skizz. Entwick.-Gesch. Nat. Syst., p. 50, (pref. April) 1829. Type (by 



monotypy) : Tringa subarquata Gueldenstadt = T. ferruginea Briinnich. 



Acrolia Temminck et Laugier, Planch. Col. d'Ois., Vol. V., pi. 510, note, 1830. Error only. 



Small Waders with long decurved bills, long wings, short tails, short legs, and 

 short toes. 



The long slender culmen is decurved, with the groove in the upper mandible 

 extending almost to the tip, which is not expanded. The culmen is longer than the 

 metatarsus, and almost exactly twice the length of the middle toe. The wings are 

 long and pointed, the first primary longest. The tail is short, doubly emarginate 

 as in Pisobia, much less than half the length of the wing and not much longer than 

 the culmen. The metatarsus is short, about three-fourths the length of the culmen ; 

 it is regularly scutellate, both in front and behind. The toes are all cleft to the 

 base, the middle toe about two-thirds the length of the metatarsus ; a long hind- 

 toe present. 



88. Erolia ferruginea. CURLEW-SANDPIPER. 



[Tringa ferruginea Briinnich, Ornith. Boreal., p. 53, (pref. Feb. 20th) 1764: Iceland. Extra- 

 limital.] 



Gould, Vol. VI., pi. 32 (pt. xxxm.), Dec. 1st, 1848. Mathews, Vol. III., pt. 3, pi. 162, Aug. 

 18th, 1913. 



Tringa (Pelidna) chinensis Gray, Zool. Miscell., pt. I., p. 2, Nov. 5th, 1831 : China. 

 Erolia ferruginea vrilsoni Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. III., pt. 4, p. 70, July 21st, 1917 r 

 Wilson's Inlet, South-west Australia. 



DISTRIBUTION. Winter visitor to Australia, breeding in the northern hemisphere. 



Adult male in summer-plumage. Head and hind -neck dark brown with rufous 

 margins to the feathers, which is shown more intensely on the latter ; the feathers 

 of the mantle, upper back, and scapulars tipped with white, and spotted with chestnut 

 on the margins ; lower back blackish with pale edges to the feathers ; upper tail- 

 coverts white, barred with black ; tail ash-grey with white shafts to the feathers ; 

 lesser wing-coverts dark brown like the bastard-wing and primary-coverts, some 

 of the latter tipped with white ; median coverts pale, as also the greater coverts 

 which are tipped with white ; primary-quills dark brown with white shafts and 

 pale brown inner webs, some of the inner primaries edged with white on the outer 

 webs ; secondaries for the most part white with brown on the outer webs, the 

 long innermost secondaries blackish, edged with rufous and fringed with white at the 

 tips ; sides of face, throat, and under-surface of body chestnut, more or less tinged 

 with white, becoming paler on the vent and under tail-coverts, the latter having 

 dark sagittate markings and cross-bars ; axillaries and under wing-coverts white, 

 the small marginal coverts dotted with pale brown ; bill and feet black ; eyes 

 brown. Total length 210 mm. ; culmen 39, wing 127, tail 48, tarsus 30. 



Adult female in summer-plumage. Similar to the adult male. 



Adult male in winter-plumage. Differs from the summer-dress by the grey of 

 the upper-surface and the almost uniform white on the under parts. 



An adult female collected in March is just beginning to put on the summer- 

 dress, which may be seen by the rufous feathers on the fore-neck, breast, and the 

 sides of the body. 



Immature. Upper-surface brown, feathers with white tips forming a scalloped 



