CHAPTER XXIX. 

 Genus RHYNCHiEA. 



Diagnosis of Charadkiid^ digitis omnibus ad basin liberis : rostri, digiti medii (cum ungue) et tarsi Ion gi- 

 geniia. tudine fere aquali : dieferentia, inter longitudinem primarise longissimae et longitudmem 



primariffi brevissimse quam rostri longitudo valde minore. 



Generic 



characters. 



Violation of 

 the rules 

 necessary. 



The Painted Snipes have ratlier long bills, very rounded wings, short legs, and long toes. 

 They may be diagnosed as follows : — 



CHARADRiiDiE having all the toes cleft to the base ; having the hill (from the frontal 

 feathers), the middle toe (including the claw), and the tarsus of nearly equal length ; and 

 having the difference in. length between the shortest and longest primary much less than the 

 length of the bill. 



Synonymy of the Genus Rhynch^a. 



Type. 



Rostratula, Vieillot, Analyse d'une Nouv. Orn. p. 56 (1816) R. capensis. 



Rhynchsea, Cuvier, Rigne An. p. 487 (1S17) R. capensis. 



The Painted Snipes are to be congratulated upon their short synonymy. It is true 

 that it might be easily increased by the addition of Rynchtsa of Horsfield, Rynchea of 

 Boie, Rhinchcea of Bonaparte, Bynchoea of Swainson, Bhynchina of Pleming, or Rhynchcena 

 of Gloger, but the ornithologist cannot waste his time in cataloguing the orthographical 

 vagaries of his predecessors. 



To retain the name of Rhynchaa for the Painted Snipes is of course a violation of the 

 Rules of Nomenclature. All that can be said is, " so much the worse for the rules." 

 Most ornithologists violate the rules and say nothing about it. Like the ostrich, they bury 

 their heads in the sand and fondly imagine that their errors are undiscovered. To adopt 

 the name of Rostratula is entirely out of the question ; rather than commit such a sacrilege 

 the Rules should be torn up and thrown into the wastepaper-basket. There are two ways 

 out of the difficulty : the name of Rhynchcea may be admitted by special exception, or the 



