CHARADRIID.E — THE PLOVERS — VANELLUS. 



129 



d'. Wing unarmed, 

 e'. No trace of hind toe, 

 /'. Tiiil very lon^,' (iuilf as long as the wing, or more), extending hall' its length l)eyon<l 

 tips of closed wings ; rump and upper tail-coverts pule rul'ous or ochraceous in the 

 American specieH. 

 0. Oxyeohua. Bill slender, about ec^ual in length to the middle toe ; tarsus deci- 

 dedly less than twice as long as middle toe ; rump and upper tail-coverts rufous or 

 ochraceous (except in 0. triculUtrin). 

 /". Tail short (less than half as long as the wing), reaching little, if any, beyond ends 

 of closed wings ; rump concolor with the back. 



7. 2Igiedlti8. Bill variable, but usually shorter than middle toe, or, if longer, very 



slender ; tarsus less than twice as long as middle toe. 



8. OchtbodromuB. Bill very large (as long as, or longer than, middle toe), the termi- 



nal half of the cuhneu much arched, the base of the gonys forming a decided 

 angle ; tarsus about cjne and a half times to nearly twice as long as middle toe. 



9. Podaaooys. Bill slender, wide at base, much longer than uiiddle toe ; tarsus more 



than twice as long as middle toe. 

 10. OreophiluB.i Bill very slender, depressed, nearly twice as long as middle toe ; 

 tarsus nearly twice us long as middle toe. Plumage longitudinally striped above, 

 f". A well-developed, tliough small, hind toe, with curved claw. 

 11. Zonibyx' Size small (wing le.ss than six inches) ; plumage plain above, except in 

 young. 

 d". Wing armed with a conical spur on the head of the metacarpus. 

 12. HoplozypteruB.B No trace of hind toe. Size medium ; first quill longest ; tarsus 

 more than twice as long as middle toe. Plunnige white beneath, with black pectoral 

 collar ; above ashy, varied with black and white in large, rather longitudinal, patches ; 

 legs yellow. 



Ge\u.«s VANELLUS, Brisson. 

 Vanellua, Schaeff. Biiiss. Orn. V. 1760, 94 (type, Tringa vanellus, Linn.). 



Char. Size large (larger than Squatarola). Bill slender, about equal in length to the mid- 

 dle toe, which is about half as long as the tarsus ; a distinct web between outer and middle toes, 

 at the base ; a well-tleveloped hind toe, with a small claw. Wings lengthened, but rounded, the 

 tirst (^uill shorter than the sixth ; the second, third, and fourth nearly equal, and longest. Tail 

 slightly emarginated. Occiput (of adult) ornamented by an elongated, slender, recurved crest. 

 Plumage of upper parts metallic. 



A single species only of this genus occurs in America, this being the common Lapwing or 

 Peewit of EuroiH! {V. cristatus), which has been found at several localities of Arctic America, 

 including both Greenland and Alaska. The South American birds usually referred to Vanellus 

 lieloug to two (juite distinct genera (Itdunopterus and Ptiloscelys), distinguished by important 

 dillVreuces of structure, as tabulated on page 128. 



1 Oreophilm, jAr.n. & Sei.by, lUustr. Orii. pi. 151 (type, 0. totanirostris, Jard. & Selby, = Chara- 

 (Irius riiflco/lis, Waol. Huh. Southern South America). 



^ Zunibyx, Reicu. Handb. 1851, xviii. (type, VnncUiis cinctua, hiiss., = C'/uiradriits modcatus, LiciiT. 

 Ilah. Southern South America). 



^ Iloploxyplcrus, Bonap. Compt. Iteud. XLlll. 1856, 418 (type, Chanidrius cayamia, Latu. Hab. 

 South America.) 



A nearly allied Old World genus, Hoploptcrus, Bonap. (type, Charadriua spinoaua, Linn.), differs as 

 foUowa : First primary shorter than the fourth, as in VaneUm wnA. Bclmwplerus ; wing-spur larger, and 

 curved ; the legs almost stilt-like in length (tarsus nearly thrice the middle toe), and black. There is 

 also a, well-doveluped web between the outer and middle toes, at the base, hardly indicated at all in 

 Hoploxypterua. 



VOL. I. — 17 



