32 THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD [Vol. I 



the lumping of the two forms in the Catalogue of the Birds 

 in the British Museum. Vol. XXIV. Further research 

 indicates the name to be accepted for the species is not 

 platyrhyncha Temminck, but falcinellus Pontoppidan or 

 Brunnich. 



In theNaturhist. Dannemark,p. 170, 1763, Pontoppidan 

 has : "Scolopax falcinellus. Ryle oder Domschnepfe mit 

 einem flachen und am Ende niedergebeugten Schnabel. 

 S. Tab. XIII." 



The figure is very crude and shows simply a Sandpiper- 

 like bird with a curved bill. The few words given by 

 Pontoppidan are diagnostic of this species ; if, however, 

 this description is considered insufficient, then Brunnich 

 must be cited as the authority, as in the Ornith. Boreal, 

 p. 49, 1764, we have the following beautiful description : 



" Scolopax || falcinellus, rostro depresso, apicibus decur- 

 vatis, corpore fusco lituris luteis, rectricibus cinereis apice 

 albis, intermediis nigris immaculatis. 



" Pontopp. atl. dan. I., t. 26, fig. 4, Siaelandis, 



" Ryle, Domsneppe Descr. Rostro infra nares depresso, 

 planiusculo, apicibus decurvatis, caput, collum, dorsumque 

 fusca lituris luteis, alae cinereae, remiges primores nigri- 

 cantes, tectrices harum apicibus albis, secundariae cinereae, 

 a latere exteriori versus apicem ad rachin usque incisae ; 

 posticae longiores margine ferrugineo ; apicibus albis, 

 intermediae nigrae immaculatae ; tectrices caudae supe- 

 riores ex albo nigroque variae. E. Siaelandia. 



" Ob rostrum, capite multo longius, eum inter scolo- 

 paces descripsi." 



There can be nothing urged against the acceptance of 

 this detailed account of the same bird as Pontoppidan 

 indicated, and the only point is whether the name should 

 be quoted as of Pontoppidan or Brunnich. 



With regard to the genus name, I use Limicola Koch. 

 Limicula was introduced by Vieillot (Analyse nouv. 

 Ornith., p. 56) some months earlier than Koch's name. 

 By some writers these two names will be considered too 

 similar, and for these will be available Platyrhamphus 

 Billberg (Syn Scand. Faun., tab. A and p. 172, 1828). 



