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Show 242 MR. J. E. HARTING ON A NEW TRINGA. [Apr. 21, 6. O n a new Species of Tringa from Alaska. By J. E. H A R T I N G , F.L.S., F.Z.S. [Received March 26, 1874.] (Plate XL.) Through the kindness of Professor Spencer Baird, I received some months ago a specimen of a Sandpiper from St. Paul's Island, Alaska, with a request that I would examine and report upon it. It resembled at first sight a very large Dunlin, Tringa alpina, in partial summer plumage, and with the breast more or less spotted with black; but its superior size showed at once that it could not belong to that species. The only other Tringa at all resembling it with which I was then acquainted being Tringa crassirostris of Temminck and Schlegel, from China, Japan, the Malay countries, and Australia, I hastily but erroneously came to the conclusion that it should be referred to that species ; and without waiting to institute any comparison of specimens, I wrote to Professor Baird accordingly. This was unfortunate; for on subsequently making a more careful examination, and comparing the bird in question with specimens in my collection of both T. alpina and T. crassirostris, I found to my surprise that it differed materially from both, being much smaller than T. crassirostris although considerably larger than T. alpina, and in several other respects, as I shall presently point out, holding an intermediate position between these two species. I have now no hesitation in saying that it may be regarded as a new and hitherto undescribed bird, and I accordingly propose to name it Tringa gracilis. It may be described as follows: - TRINGA GRACILIS, sp. nov. T. similis alpinse sed conspicue major. Notai plumis nigris, late rufo-marginatis;pileofuscescente, rufonigroquestriolato; capitis et colli lateribus dilute rufescentibus, maculis minutis fuscis; uropygio nigro; gula et fronte albis ; macula pectorali magna nigra; abdomine crissoque albis; tectricibus alarum pallide fuscis, albido limbatis; remigibus fuscis, scapis pure albis; subalaribus albis ; rectricibus lateralibus pallide fuscis, rostro et pedibus nigricantibus. (Ptil. astiv.) Long. tot. 10 poll., rostr. 1*5, ala 5*5, tars. 1, dig. med. cum ung. Hab. St. Paul's Island, Alaska. The specimen from which the above description is taken was most kindly presented to me by Professor Baird, with the information that it had been obtained with several others on the island above mentioned in the month of July 1872. It is evidently in summer plumage; and being at this season black-breasted, like the Dunlin, Tringa alpina, we may fairly assume that in winter, like that species, |
