89 
LONG-LEGGED SANDPIPER. 
TEIJYGJ1 HIMJ1JVTOPUS . 
Plate XXV. Fig. 3. 
Tringa himantopus, Nob. in Ann. Lye. New York , II, p. 157. Id. Cat. and Syn. birds 
U S. sp. 245. Id. Speech, comp. sp. Philad. 
My collection. 
The figure of this remarkable bird cannot fail to create a 
sensation among naturalists, and a careful examination may 
induce them to attach more importance to our subgenus Hemipa- 
lama than Baron Cuvier has done, and to admit that it is quite as 
distinct as his JXIachctcs, That this has not already been done is 
no doubt because the real type, which is this species, was so little 
known. The Tringa semipalmata of Wilson, which we have united 
with it merely on account of its semipalmated toe, has no real 
affinity with it, but is similar to the other Sandpipers, and we 
should never have thought of instituting a separate group for it 
alone, more than for the Charadrius semipalmatus. 
The Long-legged Sandpiper is in fact one of those beings that 
although intimately connected with several groups, with which 
they have many things in common, yet possess peculiarities suffi¬ 
cient to insulate them completely from all that surround them. 
It is very remarkable for its anomalous characters. Though 
decidedly a Tringa. , it connects, still more evidently than the 
other species with long subarched bills, that have been placed in 
JVumenius by German authors, this latter genus with its own, 
since to the other common traits of resemblance it unites the 
semipalmated toes ; so that in fact instead of placing it at the 
head of the Tringse, it should rather be arranged last of the 
VOL. iv.—z 
