364 



TOTANUS. 



Buckley in Ecuador, and several collected by Whitely in Central Peru. Mr. Berkeley James 

 procured it on the confines of Peru and Chili (Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1886, p. 404), and 

 I have several examples collected by Read at Santiago. On the east coast it occurs as far 

 south as Buenos Ayres ; I have an example from Colonia procured by Capt. Harrison, who 

 states that it was very abundant. 



/. 



TOTANUS FLAVIPES. 



YELLOW-LEGGED SANDPLPEB. 



Diagnosis. Totanus dorso postico et interscapulio fere concoloribus : supracaudalibus pro majore parte albis 

 axillaribus albis parce brunneo notatis : magnitudine media, (alse 150 ad 175 millim.). 



Variations. Eastern and Western examples appear to be identical. 



Synonym)-. Scolopax flavipes, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 659 (1788). 



Totanus natator, -\ 



Totanus fuscocapillus, V Vieillot, N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. vi. pp. 400, 409, 410 (1816). 

 Totanus flavipes [Gmel.),J 



Gambetta flavipes (Gmel.), Bonap. Compt. Rend, xliii. p. 597 (1856). 

 Totanus leucopyga, llliger,fide Giebel, Thes. Orn. iii. p. 645 (1877). 



Literature. Plates.— "Wilson, Am. Orn. pi. 58. fig. 4 ; Audubon, Birds Am. v. pi. 344. 



Habits. — Baird, Brewer, & Ridgway, Water-Birds N. Amer. i. p. 273. 

 Eggs. — Seebohm, British Birds, pi. 32. fig. 8. 



Specific 

 characters. 



The Yellow-legged Sandpiper or Yellovvshank is one of four species of Totanus which 

 have the lotver back nearly the same colour as the mantle, but the predominant colour of the 

 upper tail-coverts is white. From T. ochropus it is easily distinguished by the colour of its 

 axillaries and under wing-coverts, which are white, sparingly marked with brown instead of 

 brown narrowly barred with white. From its two nearest allies it scarcely differs except 



in size. 



Wing. Culmen. Tarsus. 



T. melanoleucus .... 7'4 to S'O 2 to 2"4 2-3 to 27 



T. flavipes 6-1 to 6-7 1 : 8 to 16 2"0 to 2-2 



T.glareola 4"5 to 5"1 P0 to 12 13 to P6 



