winter plumage will not be thought superfluous upon referring to
our elaborate synonymy, and still less if we bear in mind that
even a distinct genus has been instituted for* it in this vesture,
when it chanced to come under moré critical inspection. We
shall therefore merely dwell upon the literary and systematical
history of the species, referring the .reader to ^jpson for its
natural one.
In its mnter plumage the adult Red-breasted Snipe, then called
Brown Snipe, is so different from the young and from the perfect
bir.d in summer dress, that it is no wonder that it should have
^considered a distinct species* especially as i t k. the only
Snipe that undergoes such changes, and analogy could therefore
no longer serve ^to-guide Us! While passing gradually from one
plumage to another, the f^£hers assume so many appearances as
tovCXcuse m some degree even the errors of those who have been
led to multiply the nominal speciesr ty taking a vmmg view'of
the genus to which i t belonged.
Pennant, soon followed by Latham, was the first to make known
our Snipe, which theynlescrfbcd in.both vestures, and the bird wal
registered accordingly in "# e ‘ ill digested compilation of Gmelin.
Wilson ^rerceiveâ that the two supposed species were one and the
same,1 retaining for it .-the name of' Scalopm noveboracensis,.Vf^ick
appertained originally to the summCf dress alone. That given
to the winter 'dress is now however with more propriety adopted
by all m # e rn ornithologist?. As some birds of the old cohtitfent
are knoWn occasionally to stray to the American shores,* so this
common American bird visits accidentally the north of Èurôpe,
and especially its islands. There are 'several instances of its
having been killed in the British isles,, where more than one .
* T h e Tringapugnax o f E urope , w è a fe in fo rm ed b y Mr . Cooper, w h o baa com pw ed
th e sp ecim en w ith onfe o f th is sp ecies from A u stria in analogous plumage, has b een shot
on L o n g Island in th e S tate o f :N ew -Y o rk . -
EÜfpisb? specini^n isi preserved, small paftiesèeveïw af these bird's
having been« s.©eh'- there^at different pfe'ei®ds and- in âhieir- different
dresses. Butthe&n» i«s£a«cenv.àr erLy- no means! >sk)>&*©qtoent as
reported iro authors?#th%; (Tringm iSlmdieM h ^fing
been mistal^vfor it.. » M in. arolpgitauS plumage» strày-
inginffo Swedemfrom the^marshes of Lapland, (where,they may bn
UK©r,ei afiord»drNiIs,s®n?tb©iOpp®rrt^^ ’
feis fpiaytv tOi the nppfu#l«n, but as he gave a figuuevfbnsidds
dp^lfibipigi the bird witfe his chara#©ris*ief t.aeewa«yv A was at
Q®'SCeAg|eet@4rt‘; Sâneer wilful;^.@bj8>tin:ae!y. or
gÿj@-s^; ^puMinr {that .nan
diff#r,e#fr states. of a bird sowell marked in iA®rnabmaL'gen»n as
tOvjdeserv^a: su%enu% for«|taêlfi> and still more ®m< account of
igs. habits 'than its conformation,' . (notwithstandin gftl&emminck’s
statements to the contrary;** will be evident from A e following
generalities on the genus Sc&lopax:. ■ *
.This. genus, as im p u ted by LimM, and adopted* by authors
feoiw Latham,-tQ. Wilson, , w.a%.-like Tringa, a great bc©opteete;
tWigh with; th^ïfdvaptage of n o tg containing, a», single», species
th at is,, not still admitted as ofi, at,l6'ast, tèè same famiipL* But
however extensive it may have .been», had Linné been eausdstomfe
in arranging under it .all the species that possessed the character
he, assigned to it, he ought to have added to it «the
his Tringæ, many of which took- ranfc ump^odiSiediémboihs gênerai
f^vior - eectifidd,<fhi&'i®b«r®, thussdforraing, & vast genus $edltsp&an
more extensive than our whole la roily t iHissabgenus
^cofejps^iO^rreisponds» however,), exactly ftom»y genus of that,
name* .which L &ub,divide, into thréC',.natural, ;subg|ner^, Eusûmlm,
Scolopax, and d/ucrorarop^^whicbti»sAep#is»»t birdv d iluer first
rèduceà the genus Scolopgèx: within proper lindtsj«bufe|®elùdwg* it
Is trUe, Rhynchæa, sin ce e stablifhed bysC uv i©T a®?a genus,,. Modes®
OEinthplpgiptt* in general,, agree with "us,r except than some* 'as