(PLATE 35.)
_Barred Phalarope_ Latham, Gen. Syn. III. pt. 1, p. 274
(1785--Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean).
_Tringa cancellata_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, p. 675 (1788--ex Latham).
_Tringa parvirostris_ Peale, U.S. Expl. Exp., Birds p. 235, pl. LXVI, 2
(1848--Paumotu) Cassin, U.S. Expl. Exp. p. 321, pl. 38, 2
(1858--Paumotu).
_Totanus_ (_Tryngites?_) _cancellatus_ Gray, Cat. B. Trop. Islands Pac.
Ocean, p. 51 (1859).
_Phegornis cancellatus_ Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p. 451, pl.
17 (1888).
_Aechmorhynchus cancellatus_ Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXIV, p. 525
(1896).
"Bill short, straight, and slender; wings long, first, second, and third
quills very nearly equal; tertiaries but very little longer than the
secondaries; tail rather long, wide, rounded; legs and toes long, the
former robust; tibia feathered for more than half its length. A distinct
stripe over and behind the eye ashy-white. Entire upper parts umber-brown,
unspotted on the top of the head, but on the other upper parts edged and
tipped with ashy-white and reddish fulvous. Tail-feathers umber-brown, with
irregular and imperfect transverse narrow bands of ashy and pale
reddish-white, and tipped with the same. Underparts white, with a tinge of
ashy; throat and middle of the abdomen unspotted; breast, sides, and under
coverts of the tail spotted, and with irregular transverse bars of brown,
the latter most apparent on the sides, flanks, and under tail-coverts.
Under wing-coverts ashy-white, irregularly spotted with brown. Bill
greenish, darker at the tip; legs dark green. Sexes very nearly alike,
female slightly paler. (Cassin.)" {120}
I have here given the synonymy of this bird, as it has now been generally
accepted by Seebohm, Sharpe, and others. An actual comparison of the types
would, however, be very desirable, but, unfortunately, we do not know where
the type of Latham is, and if it still exists. Christmas Island lies much
to the north of the Paumotu group! As no specimens have been obtained since
the U.S. Exploring Expedition, we may safely suppose that the species has
ceased to exist for some reason.