86 



CEDICNEMUS. 



Specific 

 characters. 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



Difference 

 between Old 

 and New 

 WorldStone- 

 Curlews. 



The Central- American Stone- Curlew belongs to that section of the genus in which 

 there is a conspicuous black band over each eye, and in which the breast is scarcely streaked. 

 From two of the three other species belonging to this section it may be distinguished by 

 its comparatively pale ear-coverts, which are almost black in CE. magnirostris and CE. re- 

 curvirostris. Prom its nearest ally, CE. super ciliaris, it may be distinguished either 

 by its larger size (wing from carpal joint more than 9 inches) or by the markings on the 

 back, which are all longitudinal. 



It is a resident in Central America (Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, p. 397), ranging 

 northwards into Mexico and southwards into tropical South America, where it has occurred 

 in Colombia, Venezuela, and Northern Brazil (Sclater and Salvin, Ex. Orn. p. 60). 



The American Stone-Curlews differ from their Old- World allies in the distribution of 

 the white on the primaries. Instead of a subterminal bar across both webs of the first and 

 second, and sometimes the third and fourth primaries, the white is confined to the inner 

 web and extends almost to the base of the feather. 



(EDICNEMUS BISTRIATUS DOMINICENSIS, 



ST.-DOMINGO STONE-CURLEW. 



Diagnosis. 



CEdicnemus bistriatus magnitudine minima. 



Synonymy. 

 Literature. 



CEdicnemus dominicensis, Cory, Journ. Boston Zool. Soc. ii. p. 46 (1883). 



Plates. — Unfigured. 

 Habits. — Undescribed. 

 Eggs. — Unknown. 



Subspecific 

 characters. 



The St. -Domingo Stone-Curlew appears to be, from the description, only a dwarf race 

 or island form of (E. bistriatus. The dimensions of the two forms are as follows : — 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



Wing 

 Tail . 

 Tarsus 

 Bill . 



CE. bistriatus. 



CE. dominicensis. 



10 inches. 



8J inches. 



44 



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4^- 



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3f „ 



1^ 



u 



x 2 » 



It is only known from the island of St. Domingo. 





