﻿the 
  Upper 
  Mandible 
  in 
  the 
  Scolopacidse. 
  565 
  

  

  which 
  I 
  describe. 
  He 
  once 
  held 
  the 
  bill 
  in 
  this 
  strange 
  

   position 
  for 
  nearly, 
  if 
  not 
  quite, 
  half 
  a 
  minute. 
  

  

  " 
  After 
  liberating 
  my 
  captive 
  and 
  reaching 
  home, 
  I 
  imme- 
  

   diately 
  procured 
  a 
  Woodcock 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  receiitly 
  killed, 
  

   and 
  found 
  that 
  I 
  could 
  easily 
  curve 
  its 
  mandible 
  into 
  the 
  

   precise 
  position 
  into 
  which 
  my 
  live 
  bird 
  could 
  curve 
  his 
  own 
  

   at 
  will.'' 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  future 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  both 
  interesting 
  and 
  important 
  

   to 
  ascertain 
  which 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  Limicolce 
  have 
  this 
  power. 
  I 
  

   doubt 
  if 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  typical 
  Plovers 
  can 
  perform 
  the 
  act, 
  or 
  

   the 
  Curlews, 
  or 
  the 
  Phalaropes, 
  or 
  the 
  Avocets 
  and 
  Stilts. 
  

   About 
  the 
  Godwits 
  (Limosa) 
  there 
  might 
  be 
  a 
  doubt, 
  and 
  it 
  

   may 
  be 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  true 
  Snipes 
  

   and 
  Sandpipers 
  or 
  the 
  typical 
  " 
  probers 
  " 
  among 
  the 
  Scolo- 
  

   pacidse. 
  Of 
  course, 
  no 
  such 
  power 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  any 
  use 
  to 
  

   the 
  Oyster-catchers 
  {Hamatojms) 
  , 
  and 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  about 
  

   Aphriza. 
  The 
  development 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  power 
  among 
  these 
  

   birds, 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  group, 
  can 
  easily 
  be 
  imagined, 
  

   and 
  requires 
  nothing 
  from 
  me 
  here. 
  Its 
  advantage 
  is 
  also 
  

   quite 
  appareut 
  — 
  an 
  advantage 
  very 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  possessed 
  

   by 
  the 
  new 
  pattern 
  of 
  bullet- 
  forceps 
  over 
  the 
  old 
  style 
  of 
  that 
  

   surgical 
  instrument, 
  permitting 
  as 
  it 
  does 
  sudden 
  seizure 
  at 
  

   the 
  distal 
  extremity, 
  and 
  extraction 
  without 
  a 
  parting 
  of 
  the 
  

   entire 
  continuity 
  of 
  the 
  jaws. 
  

  

  This 
  peculiar 
  mechanism 
  of 
  the 
  beak 
  of 
  Scolopacine 
  birds 
  

   I 
  believe 
  to 
  be 
  worthy 
  of 
  more 
  extended 
  research 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  

   of 
  biologists 
  ; 
  and, 
  indeed, 
  there 
  should 
  be 
  nothing 
  of 
  that 
  

   kind 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  beneath 
  their 
  notice. 
  A 
  thorough 
  

   comprehension 
  of 
  the 
  affinities 
  and 
  natural 
  taxonomy 
  of 
  the 
  

   Class 
  Aves 
  will 
  require 
  on 
  our 
  part 
  a 
  full 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   everything 
  that 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  pertains 
  to 
  them. 
  We 
  cannot 
  

   afford 
  to 
  overlook 
  any 
  " 
  point 
  " 
  whatever, 
  and 
  it 
  devolves 
  

   upon 
  each 
  and 
  all 
  of 
  us 
  to 
  contribute 
  to 
  the 
  common 
  stock 
  of 
  

   information 
  whenever 
  the 
  opportunity 
  affords. 
  This 
  being 
  

   so, 
  Mr. 
  Pycraft's 
  observation 
  upon 
  Tringa 
  alpina 
  is 
  of 
  

   importance, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  pre- 
  

   viously 
  described, 
  by 
  an 
  American 
  naturalist, 
  for 
  a 
  bird 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  group. 
  

  

  