LIMOSA. 



381 



The genus Limosa contains only half a dozen species or subspecies, three of which are 



Arctic and three Temperate. 



Their distribution during the breeding-season is as follows :- 



Arctic Eurasia 2 



Arctic America 1 



Arctic species — 3 



Temperate Eurasia 2 



Temperate North America 1 



Temperate species — 3 



Species and subspecies of Limosa ... — 6 



Although the genus Limosa is a very small one, and is confined during the breeding- 

 season to the northern half of the Nearctic and Palaearctic Regions, the God wits are almost 



Climatic 

 distribution. 



Albin, from which his diagnosis is evidently translated, as would naturally be the case in an attemj)t to 

 diagnose a bird which he was not aware that he had ever seen. The following comparison of the descriptions 

 leaves no doubt as to the species intended to be described : — 



1628. 

 Will. Orn. p. 292. 



The outer toe is joined to the 

 middle one ... by a pretty thick 

 membrane of a dusky or dark green 

 colour. . . . Head . . . with some 

 tincture of red. The neck and 

 throat are reddish. The great 

 feathers of the wings are black 

 with white shafts. 



The whole rump almost is white 

 powdered with blackish specks. 



The tail-feathers . . . all crossed 

 alternately with black and white 

 lines. 



The bill is white at the base, 

 black towards the point. 



1738. 

 Albin, Nat. Hist. Birds, ii. p. 64. 



The outer toe is joined to the 

 middle one ... by a pretty thick 

 membrane of a dusky or dark green 

 colour. . . . Head . . . of a reddish 

 colour. The neck and throat are 

 reddish . . . The great feathers 

 of the wings are black with white 

 shafts. A broad bar of white 

 across the middle of the first, 

 second, and third feathers. 



The rump is white powdered 

 with blackish specks. 



The tail-feathers ... all crossed 

 alternately with black and white 

 lines. 



The bill is of a pale dilute red- 

 dish colour at the base, black at the 



1766. 

 Linneus, Syst. Nat. i. pp. 246, 247. 



Pedibus virescentibus. 



capite colloque rufescentibus. 

 remiges primores scapo albo. 

 remigibus tribus nigris basi albis. 



Uropygium album maculis nigri- 

 cantibus. 



Eectrioes nigricantes albo 

 striatae. 



Eostrum basi rubescens. 



point. 

 There can be no doubt that Linneus borrowed from Albin, who in his turn borrowed of WiUughby ; and 

 when we find the Ear-tailed Godwit of Pennant and the Bar-tailed Godwit of Brisson quoted as synonyms, it 

 is impossible to understand how any ornithologist could have imagined that the Scolopax cegocepliala of 

 Linneus could be the Black-tailed Gedwit. Probably Degland and Gerbe were the bell wethers who led this 

 large flock of innocent ornithological sheep astray. 



