46 
PECTORAL SANDPIPER. 
hind toe, which we think in this case hardly proper to represent 
subgeneric divisions. Ornithologists will perceive at once from 
this that our genus thus constituted reunites in a natural group 
species that were dispersed by Linne in his genera Tringa Scolo- 
pax and Charadrius; and even some that Latham placed in his 
restricted genus Numenius. It coincides more nearly with the 
better formed genus Tringa of Brisson, and especially of Vieillot, 
Temminck, and Ranzani, but with the addition of their Jlrenaria 
or Calidris; and with the same addition, is wholly included in the 
Actitis of Illiger ; although that learned systematist does not cite 
under his comprehensive genus a single typical Tringa, and pro¬ 
bably never examined one, as they do not possess the character 
he assigns to the group “ pedes colligati.” Our Tringa embraces 
and is formed of the groups Calidris, Pelidna, Falcinellus, Machetes, 
Eurynorhyncus and Arenaria of Cuvier ; and we subdivide it pretty 
nearly into these very groups, which we regard as subgenera, 
adding moreover to them another which we call Hemipalama. 
All our Tringse have a bill compressed at the base, with both 
mandibles furrowed each side their whole length, the lower a 
little the shorter: the nostrils are in the furrows, basal, linear, and 
pervious, but half closed by a membrane : their tongue is mode¬ 
rately long, slender, subfiliform, canaliculated above, entire and 
acute. The tarsus is slender, longer, or subequal to the middle 
toe, and always scutellated: the fore toes rather elongated, and 
slender, the hind toe when present, is extremely short, slender, 
much elevated, and hardly reaching the ground: the nails are 
moderate, compressed, curved and acute. The wings moderate 
for this family, though in reality long, with the first primary 
longest; the tertials and scapulars shorter than the primaries. 
The tail is rather short, subequal to the wings when closed, and 
always of twelve feathers and no more. 
With the exception of the subgenera Falcinellus, distinguished 
