ORNITHOLOGY. 



Order-GRALLM; or, WADERS. 



Genus— TRINGA; or, PHALAROPA 

 Spccfcs-TRINGA RUBRA. Variety, 



Generic Character. — Bill slender and incurvatcd, either 

 upwards or downwards^ legs rather lengthened, 

 the toes divided and partly webbed or scalloped, 

 the eyes placed very much backwards and up- 

 wards in the head, the mandibles pointed and of 

 equal length. 



THE Grallae genus are one of the six natural divi- 

 sions of birds, laid down hy Linnaeus, and meant by him 

 to include the Herons, Curlews, Plover^, and other water 

 birds, having in general three long toes in front, and one 

 short one recurved behind, some exceptions however occur 

 in certain instances, as Their feet being webbed or scalloped, 

 as in the bird now before us ; for in some instances, the 

 "water-birds of this division seem to be half webbed. It 

 seems therefore that in this part of natural history, a nicer 

 distinction should be drawn between these families of birds, 

 called Grallae, and which might easily be done from the 

 particular form of the i'eet. 



We have received from Mr. Piuestnall, of Stock* 

 port, a drawing of the Red Phalarope, which is conceived 

 to be a very rare and singular variety of that curious bird, 

 and which is described by him in the following manner. 

 " The Red Phalarope was shot near Stockport, in the 

 winter of 1806 ; it weighed two ounces only : the bill was 

 black, slender, and bent a little towards the tip, a dusky 

 stripe passed below the eye to the* back of the head, where 



