490 New species of Scolopacidae, Indian Snipes. [June, 



allowances for the necessary errors cleaving to attempts at technical 

 Zoology, in the want of such aids. Whilst the face of our land is 

 darkened with skin-hunters, deputed by learned Societies to incum- 

 ber science with ill-ascertained species, no English zoological associ- 

 ation has a single travelling naturalist* in India ; nor has one such 

 body yet sought to invigorate local research, numerous as now are the 

 gentlemen in India with opportunities and inclination for observation 

 such as need but the appropriate aid of those bodies to render the 

 investigations of these gentlemen truly efficient towards all the 

 higher ends which the Societies in question are constituted to forward ! 



Grallatores. 



ScOLOPACIDiE. 



Genus Scolopax, Auctorum. 



Species, new ? Indicus, nobis. 



Structure typical : aspect of the European type : size less, 14 inches 

 long by 24 between the wings, and 12 oz in weight : bill 3 inches : tail 

 3y : wings about 1 \ inch less than the tail : 1 st quill longest : tertials 

 about 1 inch less. Tarsus If; central toe \\, hind fj\ Tail 12, soft, 

 uniform. 



Remark. Found everywhere, in the higher mountains of India. 

 Colored like the Eui - opean type, but asserted by competent judges 

 to be less in size. The size and proportions given will determine 

 this point. If both differ, the species must be distinct, and will form 

 an interesting instance of geographical equivalency without specific 

 identity — of which probably there are very many yet to be noted, 

 especially among the Raptor -es, the waders, and the swimmers — 

 migrating birds which have, it is true, a wide range, but very appa- 

 rently (according to my experience), a limited one., 

 Genus Gallinago, Auctorum. 



Species, new : Nemoricola, nobis. 



Large dark wood-haunting snipe, with full soft bowed wings : short- 

 ish tail of 16 to 18 feathers, whereof the 8 or 10 laterals are some- 

 what narrowed and hardened : large blue legs and feet, and belly 



* The French, who are far quicker-witted than we Beotian islanders, have 

 had two such agents in India ever since I came to it. But the travelling natura- 

 list is in no condition to compete with the fixed local student, if the latter 

 receive the obvious helps from home. For many years past we have had great 

 and wealthy Zoological Societies in London, which, however, have not yet found 

 out that the phsenomena of animate nature must be observed where they exist I 



t My method of measuring the tarsus and digits has been explained in the 

 Indian Journal of Science, No. VIII. for November 1836. 



