Schizorhinal; nostrils pervious ; basipterygoid processes present. Cervical vertebras 15. Hind toe short or wanting. Eggs large for the size of the bird, always four in number and pegtop-shaped, with one end rounded, the other conical; this enables the four eggs to lie with the pointed ends together in comparatively small space. The eggs are laid in a small hollow in the ground, sometimes slightly lined with grass, more often not.
The Plovers, Sandpipers, and Snipes are so nearly allied that they must all be united into one family. There are clearly several subfamilies, and the arrangement here proposed adds to the number of attempts that have been made to arrange the group.
a. Bill moderate, not longer than head ; nasal groove not extending more than half the length of the upper mandible ; tarsus reticulated behind and frequently in front also…………………………Charadriinae, p. 222.
b. Bill very long; tarsus reticulated throughout…………………………Haematopodinae, p. 245.
c. Bill variable ; nasal groove extending along greater part of upper man¬dible ; tarsus shielded in front,
a1. Eyes not placed far back ; a dis¬tinct summer and winter plumage ……..…………Totaninae, p. 250.
b1. Eyes placed far back; no distinct summer and winter plumage …………………Scolopacinae, p. 283.
Add new comment