Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax. 133 
16. Scolopax megala. 
Swinhoe's Snipe is a slightly larger bird (wing 5*4 to 5*6 
inches), with rather fewer tail-feathers (twenty), and with the 
outer four or five on each side not quite so much attenuated 
(about "2 inch in width). It breeds in South-eastern Siberia 
from Lake Baikal to the north island of Japan, and, passing 
through China on migration, winters in the islands of the 
— Malay Archipelago. 
17. Scolopax australis. 
Latham's Snipe is the largest of the three (wing 6 0 to 
6*5 inches), with the fewest tail-feathers, and with only two 
attenuated tail-feathers on each side (about '2 inch in width). 
It breeds in both islands of Japan, and passes the Philippine 
Islands and the coast of China on migration to winter in 
Australia and Tasmania. These three Snipes differ very 
slightly in colour; but, though they are very closely related 
to each other, there seems to be no reason to doubt that they 
are specifically distinct. Latham's Snipe is, however, still 
nearer to the Madagascar Snipe and the Noble Snipe of 
South America. 
18. Scolopax nobilis. 
The Noble Snipe is only known from the plateaux of the 
Andes of Ecuador and Colombia. It differs principally from 
Latham's Snipe in having a shorter because more rounded 
wing (first primary only exceeding the fourth in length by J 
instead of f inch), and by having a longer bill (4 inches or 
more, instead of 3 inches or less), 
19. Scolopax nobilis macrodactyla *. 
It is not known that the Madagascar Snipe differs in any 
way from its Colombian ally except in having fourteen in- 
* It is unusual to give the later name precedence over the earlier one, 
hut in the present case common sense demands that the rule be violated. 
S. macrodactyla nobilis would imply a large variety of the Madagascar 
Snipe, which would be erroneous ; S. nobilis macrodactyla means a variety 
of the Noble Snipe with a larger foot than usual, which is precisely the 
state of the case. 
