NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 
185 
Ancylocheilus, Kaup, Sk. Ent. Eur. Thierw. 1839, 50; Typus Tringa subarquata , 
Temm. 
Char. — Bill much longer than the head, slender, compressed, considerably 
decurved, the tip not expanded, and rather hard. Grooves in both mandibles 
very narrow, but distinct. Wings long, pointed. Tail very short, nearly even. 
Legs long, slender; tarsus and tibia both lengthened, the latter exposed for 
nearly or quite half the length of the former. Toes moderate, slender, slightly 
margined, the middle one about three-fourths the tarsus. 
The essential characters of this well-marked genus lie in the long, slender, 
decurved bill, with hard unexpanded tip, the long slender legs, and very short, 
nearly even tail. In addition, it may be stated that the groove in the upper 
mandible, except just anterior to the nostrils, is very narrow, though deep ; the 
feathers extend between the rami scarcely further than those on the side of the 
lower mandible, which exceed those on the upper but little ; the tip of the bill 
is pointed and acute; the claws are all very slender and acute. In form this 
genus approaches nearest to Pelidna , from which, however, it is perfectly dis- 
tinct and easily recognizable. The bill of the latter is much stouter, depressed 
instead of compressed, and the feathers extend to some distance between the 
rami of the lower jaw. The tail is longer and deeply doubly emarginate. An 
important difference is to be found in the legs, in the proportion of the tibia, 
tarsus and toes. In Pelidna the toe is nearly equal to the tarsus, which is con- 
siderably more abbreviated than in Ancylocheilus. The tibiae appear to be 
exposed to a less extent. 
According to Gray and to the General Report, Erolia of Vieillot (Anal. 1816, 
lit supra) is founded upon the present bird. With every disposition to rely 
upon such authority, in a careful examination of the characters of the genus in 
iu that work and in the Nouv. Diet. (1817,) as well as of JErolia in the Galerie } 
(1834,) I have been unable to reconcile them with those of the bird now under 
consideration. In all these works, apparently the most important characters 
are stated to be the absence of the hind toe, and the presence of a membrane 
between the outer and middle, neither of which features exist in the Scolopax 
subarquata , Guld. In the Galerie , reference is made to the Nouv . Diet., (x. page 
409,) where the genus is fully characterized. A portion of the diagnosis is 
as follows Erolie, Erolia Vieill. Genre de l’Ordre des Echassiers , et de la 
famille des JEgialites . — trois doigts devant, point derrtire; les exterieurs unis & 
la base par une membrane, l’enterne libre. Ce genre ne content qu’une espece 
qui se trouve en Afrique, et dont on ne connoit que la depouille.” It will be 
seen that the author places the bird (“dont on ne connoit que la depouille ”) 
not only in a different genus, but in a family entirely distinct from the Sandr 
pipers; and the description of “ L’Erolie varie, Erolia variegata, Vieill., which 
follows, I cannot identify with any plumage of Tringa subarquata with which I 
am acquainted. It should also be borne in mind that Vieillot (Nouv. Diet., ut 
infra) correctly describes the present bird under the name of “ Le tringa cocorli, 
T. subarquata , Temm.,” and no reference whatever is made to Erolia. Now, it 
is by no means impossible that Erolia variegata may have been positively 
identified with T. subarquata by actual examination of the type specimen, or 
otherwise ; but even in that case I do not think the name should be adopted. 
The position of Erolia variegata in the system is very different from that which 
Tringa subarquata occupies, and the characters of the genus as published to the 
world-are widely at variance with those presented by that bird. 
From these considerations therefore I have adopted Ancylocheilus of Kaup, 
(1829,) concerning which there is no doubt. 
Ancylocheilus subarquata (Guld.) Kaup.— -Curlew Sandpiper. 
Scolopax subarquata , Guldenstaedt, Nov. Com. Petrop. 1775, xix. 471, tab. xviii. 
fide Gen. Rep. Gmelin, Syst. Nat. 1788, i. 658. 
1861.] 
