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Limonites Ruficollis (pall) as an American Bird

S. A. Buturlin

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In the September number of THE CONDOR I see an interesting record by Mr. John E. Thayer of Limonites ruficollis (Pall.) breeding in Alaska, at Nome.

When working over the second part of my Russian work on "The Limicolae of the Russian Empire" (sub-family Tringinae), I went in 1903 to Warszawa, Poland, as some questions could not be properly resolved without examining skins that served the late Dr. L. Taczanowski for his "Faune Ornithologique de la Siberie Orientale". Here in the ornithological museum of Count X. Branicki, especially rich in South American skins, I found, among specimens of L. minutilla (Vieill.), an adult sandpiper in full winter dress, labelled "Tr. pusilla, Wilson. America septentrionalis."

As I had just minutely studied a large number of Tringinae and their allies, including Ereunetes, the identification of this skin presented no difficulties: it was a specimen of Limonites ruficollis (Pall. ). The history of this specimen could not be traced, but as it was bought from a dealer, and the first known American specimen of L. ruficollis of course could fetch a much higher price than so common a bird as Ereunetes pusillus (L.), there could be no possible fraud.

Dimensions of this specimen are: wing, 102.5 mm. ; tail, 43; exposed culmen, 18; tarsus, 19; middle toe with nail, 20. The shaft of the first primary does not differ in coloring from the several next ones, all being brownish near the bases and at tips, and whitish in pre-apical parts; lower throat quite unstreaked; feet, of course, not webbed, black.

This fact was recorded in my work "Limicolae of the Russian Empire" Pt. II, p. 133, Moskva, 1905.

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