bird« in their general works': the former, however, thrust them
into that' storehouse Of spGcies, his Tringa, whilst the latter
established for them the genus JPhalaröpus, than which no group is
more natural, and in our opinion equivalent to a family.
Latham and all mèctern authoES*haveretained veryproperly
lids genu® in their systems; But- if they are so far unanimous,
they are greatly at variance when they eome to assign it a place,
some referring it to one order or family and some to another.
P b®*5 these; birds .belong to the Grattee or Waders, though still
more aquatic in their habits even than , some of the wefefootbd
birds, >dpes not/in my opinion* admit bf doubt.
dfeovory of the-species now ùadèrteotttt&ira-
tion, PhalaropiM eontainedbut two realspeeies, out of which as
many had been formed as their changeable plumage eASfeifcs
phases, and what is worse, the nominal species founded on the
one .had been confounded with those taken from the other* anli
the différent plumage of each taken for varieties o f its relative,»©.
that not even the two real speeies were accurately known apart ;
though so different as to form each of them the type v«rf a
peculiar group, in thèses am© manner as We have observed is .the
Case with the P. wilsmii. They are found in thé north of both
continents, Ate present beingpeGuliar to America, which possesses
them all. Cuvier, losing sight of the strong common tie that connects
tlio Phalaropes, has separated his two groups, Phalaropus and
Lobipes, and has placed thê one near Tringa and the other near
Totanus, on account of the analogy of the - bill, regarding thfe
Phalaropus as a pinnate-footed Tringa, and the Lobipés as a pinnatefooted
Tetanus. Yielllot, in adopting these groups as genera,
placed them adjoining each othdP- In a separate family, but he
.changed Cuvier.’s names into Grymophilus and Phalaropus, transposing
the latter name to the other group, the LSbipes of Cuvier.
APUgthe Aree known Phalaropes as distinguished by a moderate,
slender,'straight and safecylindrichTbilh both mandibles are fui«-
rowedeachsidenearlytbeirwholeleBgthjautdsAe uppersomewhat
curved at-the point;; the lower is hardly shorter, quite straight,
and the point subulate t-iphe -noStrife are in the furrows, basal,
longitudinal, linear, half closed.by a membra®©; Their, head "is
small, completely feathered, compressed and rounded above; the
eyes are-small, the neck well proportioned, and'the body roundish.
The feet aTevmoderatel^dbtiEg, fbUT-töed-; Ae" flaked spJtce on the
tibia Tatber extensive; the tarsus as- long as the middle toe^’.modfe-
'rat©,- robuktj SOflsewhaft eompresse||sland setiitellated ;■ the toes .are
moderate and rather siender, the three anterior bordered by a festooned
membrane, and thé outer at least is always c'owieeted at base
to the middlé-0Me;i the hind Ae is short, bordered etflly on the inside
with a smairentire membrane, articulated rather high and internally,
touching thegroünd a t tip : Ae nails are short, curved; and
acute., h Tlfe wings long, falciform, and aeute, the first primary
being Ae longest: the quills twenty-five in number. The tail is
short, and l^ ^S t's of twelve feathers, with its. under coverts
extending quite to the tip.
The female is but little different from the male, but larger and
handsomer in full plumage/ The-young are very different from
the. adults, and they vary much wiA 'Uge. They moult twice in
the year, .their colours changing strangely, which has-occasioned
the wanton multiplication of Species. Their plumage is;, elwei,
thick, abundantly' furnished with down, and impermeable to
water. Their colours; are principally brownish. and reddish,
changing in Winter to gray-:and white, .which is always to he found
ott their under parts. 1
Their - habits- are- essentially aquatic; inhabit the seaeoasts,
the shores of lakes and occasionally of rivers; are gregarious,
but nev#i collect in large flocks. Probably, from being so
seldom met wiA,- they show little dread of mankind, and allow of