1 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
The most casual examination shows that either Seebohm’s advocacy 
of the whole of the species being placed in one genus Scolopax is correct — 
which course would not be adopted by anyone, or else more subdivision 
must be effected. 
As I have hinted above, a careful examination of the bills and feet 
elicit characters of good value for separating the generic groups, and also 
give valuable suggestions as to the affinity of the species. 
Thus Scolopax rusticola Linne has a distinctive appearance irrespective 
of coloration : the eye is placed far back in the head, but the bill is somewhat 
conical though very long and wrinkled towards the tip, which seems hard 
and not much expanded ; the legs are very short, and the tibia is fuUy 
feathered ; the wing is pointed, and the body plump ; the metatarsus may be 
seen to be scutellated in front, but othervnse fairly regularly reticulate ; 
the hind toe is not short but the hind claw' is very short, while the toe is 
strongly built, as is also the metatarsus ; the tail is composed of twelve 
feathers. Compared with this Scolopax gallinago Linne is very different ; 
the eye is not placed so far back while the bill is very long and slender, not 
very high at the base, and from about the middle it is somewhat flattened, 
expanded and much wrinkled, but not hard ; the legs are short though 
comparatively longer, and the tibia is unfeathered for a short space; the 
wing is more pointed than in the preceding, and the body is slender ; the 
metatarsus is scutellated regularly in front and behind, having a typical 
Totanine appearance, and the hind toe is long and slender with a long hind 
claw, exactly comparable with that of a totanine w'ader. The tail is 
composed of fourteen feathers. 
These two extremes are well differentiated, and have scarcely ever been 
united in one genus by recent writers. 
When however the species grouped in the Catalogue of the Birds in the 
British Museum, Vol. XXIV., under Gallinago^ are criticised, the first 
noticeable fact is that the South American birds — “ (9^.” jamesoni Bonaparte 
“U.” stricklandi Gray, and “G.” imperialis Sclater — and “G.” aucMandica Gray 
and its alhes are aU essentially in agreement with S. rusticola Linne, and 
absolutely disagree with S. gallinago Linne. The South American birds, 
“ G.” gigantea Temm. and “ G.” undulata Boddaert, unite a combination 
of these characters, having a typical Woodcock bill but typical Snipe legs 
and feet. 
It win be at once noticed that the preceding — ^united with the species 
Sharpe admitted as Woodcocks in the genera Scolopax, PhiloTiela, and 
Neoscolopax — exactly make up Seebohm’s group of Woodcocks and semi- 
Woodcocks. The other species which attract notice at once are G. nemoricola 
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