1835,] Red-billed Erolia. 459 



at home by Mr. Gould as his discovery, although it is evident, that Mr. Hodg- 

 son's description and drawing were produced two years before. Mr. Hodgson 

 has only now had an opportunity of seeing the last volume of the Researches, 

 which has prevented his bringing the unfortunate omission to our notice at an 

 earlier period. — Ed.] 



Ordo Grallatores — Fam. Charadriadjs — Genus Erolia. — Species 

 New red-billed Erolia. 



As in the grallatorial order the Ibis links together the families of 

 the Ardeidse and of the Scolopacidse, so that remarkable bird which 

 I am now about to describe, admirably connects the latter family with 

 that of the Charadriadae. It constitutes besides a sort of central step 

 in the long gradation, from the most typical to the most aberrant 

 genera of the order of Waders — from those which have a great length 

 of legs, as well as of bill, to those which are deficient in respect to the 

 length of both. If to these interesting peculiarities belonging to our 

 bird, we add that the genus has been but recently established, and that 

 only one species is known, it will readily be allowed, our bird (which 

 is moreover a new species) is entitled to a full and minute description. 



Without objecting to the generic character, as established by Vieil- 

 lot, I shall take the liberty to dilate it as follows : 



Bill, long, slender, weak, but not soft ; well arched ; upper man- 

 dible, rounded at the base ; grooved for fths of its length ; smooth 

 and scarcely dilated or obtuse at its tip : lower mandible, rather 

 shorter than the upper. 



Nostrils, wide linear ; placed in the membranous part of the "roove 

 of the bill, and near its base ; shaded above and behind by the mem- 

 brane ; open. Face entirely clothed with feathers. Legs rather short, 

 and having but little of the thighs denuded. Feet cursorial. Toes 

 three, short ; the outer connected with the central by a crescented 

 membrane as far as the first joint: inner scarcely connected at the 

 base ; margins of the toes with the skin subdilated ; nails short, 

 obtuse, rounded. 



Wings elongated, but not acuminated ; longest flags nearly equal 

 to greatest quills ; first quill longest*. Tail shortest; even; 12 feathers. 

 In further illustration of the characters of this bird, I may add, that the 

 bill bears the strictest essential resemblance to that of the Curlew, 

 scarcely differing from it at all, being rather more pointed or less 

 obtuse at the tip, and somewhat more decidedly arched throughout. 

 I speak thus from a comparison of the bills of three species of Cur- 

 lew (which are now before me), with that of the bird in question : 



* Since found to be a mistake, by comparison of all the specimens : but the first 

 quill is not a sixteenth of an inch less than the second and third. — Note of 1835. 



