40 SCOLOPACID^E. 



a strong resemblance to the Scolopax saturata of Dr. Hors- 

 field, from which, however, it sufficiently differs in its gene- 

 ral proportions ; and I find no description of any other 

 extra European species of true Scolopax which at all ap- 

 proaches it in this character of its plumage. In the num- 

 ber of the tail-feathers again, which amount to twelve, it 

 differs from Scolopax major, which has sixteen, and from 

 Scolopax gallinago, which has fourteen : it agrees however 

 in this point with Scolopax gallinula, which also has but 

 twelve; but it never can be confounded with that bird, 

 from the great disproportion between the essential characters 

 of both ; the bill alone of S. Sabini exceeding that of the 

 latter species by one third of its length. In the relative 

 length and strength of thje tarsi, it equally differs from all. 

 These members, although stouter than those of S. gallinago, 

 fall short of them by $ of an inch : they are much weaker, 

 on the other hand than those of S. major, although they 

 nearly equal them in length. In general appearance it bears 

 a greater resemblance to S. rusticola, than to the other 

 European Scolopaces, but it may immediately be recognised 

 as belonging to a different station in the genus ; the two 

 exterior toes being united at the base for a short distance, 

 as in the greater number of the congeneric species ; while 

 those of S. rusticola are divided to the origin." 



" This bird was shot in the Queen's County in Ireland, 

 by the Eev. Charles Doyne, of Portarlington, in that 

 county, on the 21st of August 1822 ; and was obligingly 

 communicated to me the same day. I have named the 

 species in honour of the Chairman of the Zoological Club of 

 the Linnean Society, whose zeal and ability have thrown 

 so much light upon the ornithology of the British Islands." 



Mr. Vigors adds in a note, " Since this communication 

 was read to the Society, I have been enabled to record a 



