640 GRAY PITALAROPE. 
GRAY PHALAROPE.— PHALAROPUS LOBATA. — Fic. 308. 
Phalaropus lobata, Lath. Ind. Orn. p. Ti6. Id. iii. pt. 1, p. 272. — Tringa lobata, 
Turt. Syst. i. 406.— Muller, No. 195.— Faun. Suec. 179.— Faun, Groenl. 
No. 75.— Le Phalarope, Briss. Orn. vi. p. 18, 1.— Le Plialarope afestons den- 
telés, Buff. Ois. xv. p. 349.— Gray Coot-footed Tringa, Edwards, pl. 308.— 
Bewick, it. p. 132.— Bartram, p. 294.— Br. Zool. it. No. 218.— Arct. Zoot. 
ii. No. 412 
LOBIPES WILSONII.— Sarvine.* 
Phalaropus, (sub-gen. holopodius,) Bonap. Synop. p. 342.— Phalaropus Wilsonii, 
Sab. pe to Frank. Narrat. p. 691. — Lobipes incanus, Jard. and Selby, Ilust. 
Ornith. pl. 25.— Phalaropus Wilsonii, North. Zool. ii. pl. 69. 
Or this species, only one specimen was ever seen by Wilson, and 
that was preserved in Trowbridge’s Museum, at Albany, in the state 
of New York. On referring to Wilson’s Journal, I found an accownt 
of the bird, there called a T’ringa, written with a lead pencil, but so 
scrawled and obscured, that parts of the writing were not legible. I 
wrote to Mr. Trowbridge, soliciting a particular description, but no 
answer was returned. From the drawing, which is imperfectly col- 
ored, and the description, which I have been enabled to decipher, I 
have concluded that this species is the Gray Phalarope of Turton. It 
is worthy of remark, that the ornithologists of Europe have differed 
somewhat in their account of this bird, as well as of that which fol-, 
lows ; and we cannot reconcile our descriptions with theirs. This is 
owing, we presume, to the scarcity of the species, which has operated 
against their obtaining subjects recently. killed, and has compelled 
them to have recourse to old or imperfect specimens of the museums. 
In the grand and wonderful chain of animated nature, the Phalaropes 
constitute one of the links between the Waders and the Wébfooted 
tribes, having the form of the Sandpiper with the habits of some of the 
Ducks ; the scalloped membranes on their toes enabling them to swim 
with facility. They do not appear to be fond of the neighborhood of 
the ocean, and are generally found in the interior, about the lakes,. 
* In the small group known as Phalaropus we have two forms, distinguished by 
the stouter make, the flat-formed bill, and the development of the webs to the 
toes in the one, and by the slender bill and greater alliance of the other to the To- 
tani. The Prince of Musignano has instituted another sub-group from what 
appears to me to be’only the greater development of the latter form. Followin 
the arrangement of Cuvier, I have retained Lobipes for those of slender make, an’ 
Phalaropus for that of this country, and only one yet discovered. 
Thave little hesitation in considering the L. incanus of ornithological, illustra- 
tions to be this bird in imperfect plumage. Bonaparte is of opinion-that the Ameri- 
can bird was a new species; Mr. Ord, that it is some undescribed state of P. hy- 
perboreus : with the former of these opinions I agree, and have accordingly adopted 
the specific name which Sabine had previously chosen for it, but have referred it to 
the genus obipes of Cuvier. This plate of our author is one of the very few ex- 
ceptions where an imperfect representation of the bird is given, the figure being 
thuch too stout and thick, and not of that more elegant form, one of the characteris- 
tics of the Totani. 
Under this division will also range the Little Red-necked Phalarope, Lobipes 
hyperboreus of Temminck, and the present type of the genus. According to Bona- 
parte, this species is exceedingly rare and accidental in the United States. It will 
appear in the forthcoming volumes of that gentleman’s Illustrations. — Ep. 
