358 



TOTANUS. 



Specific 

 characters. 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



The Marsh-Sandpiper has a white lower hack, rump, and central upper tail-coverts, and 

 nearly uniform grey secondaries, two characters which are only found combined in two 

 other species in the genus, the Greenshank {T. glottis) and Erman's Sandpiper {T. guttiferus). 

 Trom these two species it is most easily distinguished by its much smaller size, the wing 

 from the carpal joint only measuring about 5-| inches instead of 7 or 8 inches. 



Jerdon very appropriately calls it the Little Greenshank, and it may fairly be regarded 

 as a subarctic representative of its more arctic ally. 



The breeding-range of the Marsh-Sandpiper extends from the delta of the Rhone and 

 the valley of the Danube, through South Russia, North Persia, and Turkestan to Southern 

 Siberia. Further north it only occurs as an accidental straggler. An example has been 

 obtained on Heligoland, but it is not known to have visited the British Islands. It passes 

 on migration a still more extended range of country, from the coast of West Africa to the 

 coast of China, and winters throughout Africa, both on the coast and inland. Bohm 

 obtained it in Central Africa near Lake Tanganyika (Matschie, Journ. Orn. 1887, p. 138). 

 It also winters in India, Ceylon, Burma, the Malay Archipelago, and Australia. It is said 

 to be a resident on the southern shores of the Caspian. 



It frequents the banks of rivers and lakes, especially tidal flats. 



TOTANUS SEMIPALMATUS. 



WILLET. 

 Diagnosis. Totanus primariis pro majore parte albis. 



Variations. Xhe Western form of the Willet is on an average a larger bird than the typical or Eastern 

 form, and may fairly be regarded as subspecificaily distinct. 



Synonymy. Scolopax semipalmata, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 659 (1788). 



Totanus crassirostris, Vieillot, N. Diet, d'llist. Nat. vi. p. 406 (1816). 



Symphemia atlantica, Rafinesque, Journ. Phys. Ixxxviii. p. 417 (1819). 



Glottis semipalmata {Gmd.), Nilsson, Orn. Suecica, ii. p. 55 (1821). 



Totanus (Catoptrophorus) semipalmatus {Gmel.), Bonap. Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist New York ii 



p. 323 (1826). 

 Hodites semipalmatus [Gmel.), Kaup, Nafiirl. Syst. p. 155 (1829). 

 Symphemia semipalmata [Gmel), Hartlaub, Rev. Zool. 1845, p. 342. 

 Catoptrophorus semipalmatus {Gmel.), \ 

 Catoptrophorus crassirostris [Vieillot), j ^"""^P- ^°^Pi- «««^- ^^ii. p. 596 (1856). 



