496 



SCOLOPAX. 



SCOLOPAX FRENATA MAGELLANICA. 



FALKLAND-ISLAND SNIPE. 

 Diagnosis. Scolopax fbenata magnitudine majore : colore pallidiore : secundariis brevioribus. 



Synonymy. 



Literature. 



Variations. The Falkland Island Snipe appears completely to intergrade through the Chilian Snipe 

 with the Brazilian Snipe. 



Scolopax Paraguay^, ViAllot, N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. iii. p. 131 (1816). 



Scolopax magellanicus, Kinff, Zool. Journ. It. p. 93 (1833). 



Gallinago magellanicus [King), Gray, List Birds Brit. Mm. iii. p. Ill (1844). 



Gallinago paraguayte {Vieillot), Gray, List Birds Brit. Mus. iii. p. Ill [\M^,partivi). 



Scolopax frenata magellanica {King), Seebokm, Ibis, 1886, p. 138. 



Plates. — Unfigured. 



Habits.— Abbott, Ibis, 1861, p. 156. 



Eggs, obtained by the ' Challenger ' expedition, measure 1-7 x 1-22 iuch. 



Subspecific 

 characters. 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion, 



The Falkland-Island Snipe is merely a pale form of the Chilian Snipe, with sliglitly 

 shorter secondaries, the outermost not extending beyond the longest primary- covert. It 

 breeds on the Falkland Islands and possibly near the Straits of Magellan, migrating 

 northwards in autumn along the east coast of South America as far north as Paraguay, 

 whence it was originally described by Azara. I have examples collected by Capt. Harrison 

 at Maldonado and Bahia Blanca. 



SCOLOPAX FRENATA CHILENSIS. 



CHILIAN SNIPE. 



Diagnosis. Scolopax frenata alis loDgioribus (130 ad 145 millim.). 



Variations. The Chilian Snipe appears to be an intermediate form between the Falkland-Island Snipe 

 and the Brazilian Snipe, with both of which it intergrades. 



