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BIRDS OF ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY, AND CHILE 163
NYCTICRYPHES SEMICOLLARIS (Vieillot)
Totanus semicoUaris Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 6, 1816, p. 402.
(Paraguay.)
The painted snipe of South America differs so in structural
characters from the Old World species as to warrant its generic
separation, and indeed to such an extent as to cast some doubt on
belief in the near affinity of these two groups. The bird under
discussion here has the bill more curved at the tip, the tip expanded
on both upper and lower mandibles, the distal end distinctly pitted,
a median groove to distal end of gonys, a slight web between outer
and middle toes, the tail strongly wedge-shaped, the median feathers
tapered, and soft in structure at the tip with the median upper
and lower coverts longer than the lateral rectrices. In Rostratula,
as here restricted, the bill is less curved, with no distal expansion
or pitting, no median groove on the gonys, no web at the base of
the outer and median toes, tail only slightly rounded, of stiff blunt
feathers with all of the rectrices longer than the tail coverts. The
distinctions are easily evident on examination of specimens. For
the South American bird Wetmore and Peters have erected the
genus Nycticryphes.^-
The South American painted snipe was fairly common near
Lavalle, Buenos Aires, from October 28 to November 9, 1920, in
boggy, fresh-water marshes where partly submerged areas grown
with rushes afforded shelter and clumps of grass standing in from
75 to 150 mm. of water gave them footing. At that season the birds
were found in pairs or alone though several might be startled near
one another. In general habits, flight, and appearance they sug-
gested jacksnipe but seemed more averse to bright sunlight, as,
though they flushed readily in cloudy weather, it was often difficult
to start them when the sky was clear and the light intense. They
rose always near at hand with a sudden spring accomj)anied by
a low rattle of wing quills that was stilled at once as they darted
rapidly away. After a flight over the rushes they hesitated for an
instant as though uncertain of the ground below and then dropped
suddenly to cover. It frequently required considerable tramping
to start them a second time. As they rose the light lines on either
side of the back and the curved bill showed plainly, but as they
traveled away they appeared wholly light and dark in color.
Though in form and action their flight was not unlike that of
GaUinago, they pursued a less erratic course and were silent. How-
ever, it required quick work to shoot them, so that their local
cognomen of can^e correro was well warranted. As they were killed
over dense cover it was often difficult to locate those that had fallen.
^Proc. Biol. Soc. Washing-ton, vol. 3G, May 1, 192.3, p. 14.3.