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PRxECOCIAL G-RALLATORES — LIMICOL,®. 
Family SCOLOPACIDiE. — The Snipe Family. 
The characters of the family Scolopacidca having been given in sufficient detail 
on p. 108, in the analysis of the families of Limicolse, it is unnecessary to repeat 
them here. The Scolopacidte are among the most widely dispersed of birds, a large 
proportion of the genera being nearly cosmopolitan. They embrace a very great 
variety of forms, from the diminutive “Peeps” ( Actodromas and Ereundes ), smaller 
than a Sparrow, to the large Curlews, of Ibis-like stature and appearance. The hill 
may he either straight, bent upward, as in the Avocets (e. g. Limosa and Terehict), 
or strongly decurved, like a sickle ; narrowed at the end, or widely expanded into 
a paddle-shaped form ( [Eurynorhynchus ). The legs may be short and stout (as in 
Arquatellci, Calidris, etc.), or of almost Stilt-like length, as in Micropalama, Totanus, 
etc. Between these wide extremes of form, however, there are genera possessing 
characters intermediate in almost every conceivable degree — so much so as to ren- 
der it extremely difficult to tabulate the characters of the numerous genera. The 
following is an attempt at a diagnostic table of the American genera, omitting 
Plicgornis, Gray , 1 of Chili, which we have not been able to examine. 
American Genera of Seolopaeidse. 
A. Bill longer than the tarsus and middle toe, straight. 
B. Bill shorter than the tarsus and middle toe, strongly decurved at the end ; wing short, 
rounded. 
C. Bill shorter than the tarsus and middle toe, straight or slightly curved up or down ; wing 
lengthened, pointed. 
D. Bill widely expanded laterally at the end. 
E. Bill longer than the tarsus and middle toe, strongly decurved. 
A. ( Scolopacece .) 
a. Tibia, completely feathered. 
1. Scolopax. Outer quill longest, broad, like the others. 
2. Philohela. Outer quill shorter than the sixth, the three outer primaries abruptly much 
narrower than the rest. 
b. Tibia partly naked. 
3. Gallinago. Toes all cleft to the base. 
4. Macrorhamphus. A well-developed web between anterior toes, at base. 
C . 2 
a. Feathers of the forehead not reaching to the nostril ; anterior toes all webbed at the base. 
5. Micropalama. Bill and legs much elongated, the former much compressed, except at 
end ; tarsus twice as long as middle toe ; size medium. 
6. Ereunetes. Bill and legs moderately elongated, or rather short, the former scarcely, if 
at all, compressed ; tarsus much less than twice the middle toe ; size small. 
b. Feathers of the forehead not reaching to the nostril ; anterior toes all cleft to the base. 
1/ A well-developed hind toe. 
7. Tringa. Tarsus one third its length longer than the middle toe and claw ; toes stout, 
the middle about half as long as the hill ; hill stout, straight. Middle tail-feathers not 
longer than the rest. Size rather large (wing more than 6.00). 
1 Type, Leptopus Mitchelli, Fraser. 
2 Section “ B ” includes only the singular genus Rhynchcea, which has representatives in various parts 
of the Southern Hemisphere, but none in North America. 
