178 



PILECOCIAL GHALLATOUES — LIMlCULvE. 



Family SCOLOPACIDyE.— The Snipe Family. 



•is ' >' 



a I 



The characters of the family Scdbpdchhr havinji; been given in suflicient detail 

 on p. 108, in the analysis of the families of Limicohe, it is unnecessary to repeat 

 them here. The Sccjlopacida' are among the most widely dispersed of l)irds, a large 

 proportion of the genera l)eing nearly cosmopolitan. They ondn'ace a very great 

 variety of forms, from the diminutive "Peeps" (Arlodrouins and JCrcuiu'tcs), smaller 

 than a Sparrow, to the large (."urlews, of Ihis-like stature and a]>pearance. The hill 

 may be either straight, bent upward, as in the Avocets (r. ij. Hihosk and Tfvvhia), 

 or strongly decurved, like a sickle ; narrowed at the end, or widely ex])anded into 

 a paddle-sha})ed form (EHripwrhi/Hckun). The legs may be short and stout (as in 

 Arqnafcllc, ('(didris, etc.), or of almost Stilt-like length, as in Micropahona, Tvtiinv^, 

 etc. Ijetweeu these wide extremes of form, however, there are genera possessing 

 characters intermediate in almost every conceivable degree — .so much so as to ren- 

 der it extremely difficult to tabulate the characters of the numerous genera. The 

 following is an attempt at a diagnostic table of the American genera, omitting 

 Phcyornis, Gkav,^ of Chili, which we have not been able to examine. 



American Genera of Scolopacidee. 



A. Bill ]oii<,'er than tliu tiirsus ami iniddli; tou, .straiylit. 



B. Bill sLoitur than thu tar.siis and middle toe, stionj,dy decurved at the end ; wing short, 



rounded. 



C. Bill shoilLi ihan the tarsus and middle toe, stiaif,dit or slightly curved up or down ; wing 



lengthened, jiointed. 



D. Bill widely expanded laterally at the end. 



E. Bill longer than the tarsus and middle toe, strongly decurved. 



A. (Scolopaceai.) 

 a. Tibia complitelij feathered. 



1. Scolopax. Outer <[uill longest, broad, like the others. 



2. Pbilobela. Outer cjuill shorter than the si.vth, the three outer primaries abruptly nuich 



narrower than the rest. 

 6. Tibia: fmrflij naked. 



3. Oallinago. Toes all cleft to the base. 



4. MacrorbamphuB. A well-developed web between anterior toes, at base. 



€.- 

 a. Feathers of the forehead not roaehing to the nostril ; anterior toes all webbed at the base. 



5. Micropalama. Bill and legs much elongated, the former much compressed, except at 



end ; tarsus twice as long as middle toe ; size medium. 



6. Ereunetes. Bill and legs moderately elong.ated, or rather short, tlie former scarcely, if 



at all, compressed ; tarsus much less than twice tli(! middle toe ; size small. 

 h. Feathers of the forehead not reaching to the nostril ; anterior toes all cleft to the base. 

 1.' A well-developed hind toe. 



7. Tringa. Tarsus one third its length longer than the middle toe and claw ; toes stout, 



the middle about half as long as the bill ; bill stout, straight. Middle tail-feathers not 

 longer than the rest. Size rather large (wing more than (i.OO). 



^ Type, LcptnjJHS Mitrhrh i, Fraser. 



2 Section " B " iiicliules only the singular genus Rhynchcca, which ha.s representatives in various parts 

 of the Soutliern Hemisphere, but none in North America. 



iSfii 



