142 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



purplish-red and underlying ones of lavender ; axis 35-36.5 mm., diameter 

 26-27. 



Breeding-season. June and July. (Siberia.) 



Distribution and forms. Breeding throughout northern Europe and Asia, 

 migrating southward in winter. Mathews recognised an eastern form as smaller 

 and paler which recently has not been accepted, but we anticipate that on later 

 reconsideration this will be allowed. 



Genus HETERACTITIS. 



Heteractitis Stejneger, Auk, Vol. I., p. 236, July 1884. New name for Heteroscelus Baird 

 1858. Type (by monotypy) : Totanus brevipes Vieillot = Scolopax incanus Gmelin. 

 Heteroscelus Baird, Rep. Expl. Surv. Pac. Ocean, Vol. IX., p. 734, Oct. ? 1858. Type (by 

 monotypy) : T. brevipes Vieillot. 

 Not Heteroscelis Boisduval, Voy. Astrol., Entom., Vol. II., p. 25, 1835. 



Medium Totanine Waders with short, somewhat stout bills, long wings, medium 

 tails, short stout legs, and strong feet. 



This genus is easily recognisable by the stout bill in conjunction with the nature 

 of the metatarsal covering from which it gains its name. 



The culmen is stout and short, being less than one-fourth the length of the 

 wing and almost exactly half the length of the tail. The nasal groove varies from 

 one-half to two-thirds the length of the culmen. Wings long and pointed, the 

 first primary longest. Tail doubly emarginate like that of Pisobia, rather less 

 than half the length of the wing. Metatarsus short, less than the culmen, but 

 longer than the middle toe and claw, the exposed tibia being about half the length 

 of the metatarsus. There is a distinct web between the outer and middle toes 

 towards the base, but only an indistinct webbing between the middle and inner 

 toes. The hind-toe and claw are proportionately long. The metatarsus is covered 

 with transverse scutellae in front and the sides are coarsely reticulate ; the back 

 is clothed with little larger reticulation in some, in hexagonal scales approaching 

 transverse scutes in others, and in apparently regular scutellae in others. 



98. Heteractitis incanus. WANDERING TATTLER. 

 Mathews, Vol. III., pt. 3, pi. 152, Aug. 18th, 1913. 



Scolopax incana Gmelin, Syst. Nat., Vol. I., pt. n., p. 658, April 20th, 1789 : Eimeo and 

 Palmerston Islands, Pacific Ocean. 



Scolopax solitaris Bloxham, Voy. " Blonde," Sandwich Is., p. 252, " 1826 " = Feb. 20th, 

 1827 : Sandwich Islands. 



Totanus fuliginosus Gould, Voy. " Beagle," Birds, p. 130, March 1841 : Galapagos Islands. 

 Scolopax undulata Forster, Descr. Anim., ed. Licht., p. 173, (pref. Jan. 1st) 1844 : Tahiti. 

 Not of Boddaert, Tabl. Planch. Enlum., p. 54, (after Dec.) 1783. 

 Scolopax pacifica Forster, t5., p. 174 : Tahiti. 



Totanus oceanicus Lesson, Descr. Mamm. et Ois., p. 244, April 1847 : Pacific Ocean. 

 Totanus polynesice Peale, Zool. U.S. Expl. Exped., Vol. VIII., p. 237, 1848 (c/. 2nd ed., p. 318, 

 1858): Fiji. 



Heteroscelus incanus porteri Mathews, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, Vol. XXXVI., p. 82, May 25th, 

 1916 : Cape York, Queensland. 

 DISTRIBUTION. Cape York in winter, as far as yet recorded. 



Adult male in summer-plumage. Upper-parts olive-grey including the crown 

 of the head, entire back, wings and tail ; the small marginal upper wing-coverts 

 dark brown fringed with white like some of the major and primary -coverts ; primary - 

 and secondary -quills dark brown, paler on the inner webs, the shaft of the outer 

 primary inclining to white ; an ill-defined white line running from the base of the 

 bill over the eye and along the sides of the crown ; sides of face, ear-coverts, sides 

 of neck, and fore-neck streaked with brown and white ; chin and upper throat 

 with small ovate spots of slate-brown ; remainder of the under-surface slate-grey 



