82 
TRINGINJE. PHALAROPUS. 
at first sight might be taken for a Tringa, although its feet ■ 
differ so much as to render it expedient to separate it from 
that genus. It is, one may say, a Tringa with the toes lobed 
or scolloped. The body rather slender, the neck of moderate j 
length, the head small, compressed, with the forehead ele- 
vated and rounded. Bill rather longer than the head, al- 
most quite straight, slender, subcylindrical ; upper mandible 
with the dorsal line straight, the ridge flattened, the nasal 
groove extending two-thirds, the breadth considerably en- 
larged toward the end, the tip obtuse ; lower mandible with j 
the angle long and extremely narrow, the sides erect and 
grooved, the tip rather acute. Eyes rather small. Nostrils 
basal, oblong, with an elevated margin. Aperture of ear | 
roundish, and of moderate size. Legs short, extremely slen- j 
der ; tibia bare to a considerable extent ; tarsus short, much \ 
compressed, anteriorly scutellate ; hind toe diminutive ; ante- | 
rior toes of moderate length, the second slightly shorter than j 
the fourth ; the three connected at the base by webs, and late- 
rally margined with a lobed membrane ; claws very small, ,| 
arched, compressed, rather sharp. Plumage full, soft, blend- ! 
ed ; the feathers oblong, and much curved. Wings long, 
pointed, with twenty-five quills ; the first and second quills 
longest ; secondaries incurved, the inner very long and ta- 
pering ; tail short, rounded, of twelve feathers. 
The dense plumage, impervious to water, and the expand- 
ed margins of the toes, indicate an affinity to the Palmipede 
birds. 
i 
192 . Phalaropus lobatus. Grey Phalarope. 
In w r inter, the back of a fine pale purplish blue, the occiput 
and a line down the back of the neck greyish-black, the fore- 
head, sides of the head, neck, and lower parts, white. The 
wing-coverts blackish, as are the primary quills, and some of 
the very elongated and pointed inner secondaries ; the shafts 
of the quills, and the margins and tips of the secondary coverts, 
and the tips of the primary coverts, white ; the middle tail- 
feathers deep brown, margined with white, the lateral shaded 
into ash-grey ; bill black, feet pale brown, lobes grey, claws 
black. In summer, the bill yellow, with the point dusky, the 
feet greyish-blue ; upper part of the head black; fore part of 
the back, the scapulars, and inner secondaries, black, margin- 
