178 PR.ECOCIAL GRALLAT0EE3 — LIMICOL^. 



Family SCOLOPACID^. — The Snipe Family. 



The characters of the family Sculopacida having been given in sufficient detail 

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

 them here. The Scolopacidas are among the most widely dispersed of birds, a large 

 proportion of the genera being nearly cosmopolitan. They embrace a very great 

 variety of forms, from the diminutive "Peeps" (Aciodromas and Ereunetes), smaller 

 than a Sparrow, to the large Curlews, of Ibis-like stature and appearance. The bill 

 may be either straight, Ijent upward, as in the Avocets {e. g. Limosa and Terckiu), 

 or strongly decurved, like a sickle ; narrowed at the end, or widely expanded iuto 

 a paddle-shaped form {Eurynorhynchus). The legs may be short and stout (as in 

 Arquatclla, Calidris, etc.), or of almost Stilt-like length, as in Micropcdama , Totanus, 

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

 characters intermediate in almost every conceival)le 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 

 Phcgornis, Geay,i of Chili, which we have not been able to examine. 



American Genera of Scolopacidse. 



A. Bill longer than the tarsus and middle toe, straight. 



B. Bill shorter than the tarsus and middle toe, .strongly decurved at the end ; wing short, 



rounded. 



C. Bill shorter than the tarsus and niiddle toe, straight or slightly curved up or down ; wing 



lengthened, pointed. 



D. Bill widely expanded laterally at the end. 



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



A. (Scolopacem.) 



a. Tibice completely feathered. 



1. Scolopax. Outer quill longest, broad, like the others. 



2. Philohela. Outer quill shorter than the sixth, the three outer primaries abruptly nuich 



narrower than the rest. 



b. Tibice parthi nalxd. 



3. Gallinago. Toes all cleft to the base. 



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



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



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



i-iiil ; tarsus twice as long as middle toe ; size medium. 



6. Ereunetes. Bill and legs moderately elongated, or rather short, the former scarcely, if 



at v.W, compressed ; tarsus much less than twice the middle toe ; size small. 

 6. 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 6.0t)). 



' Type, Lepiopus MUchelli, Fraser. 



^ Section " B " includes only the singular genus Rhynchcea, which has representatives iu various parts 

 of the Southern Hcmispliere, but none in North America. 



