. The water birds of North America . slightlyforked. Legs and feet extremely small. The peculiarities of form expressed in the characters given above render this veryremarkable type worthy, according to our views, of family rank, as distinguished fromthe Gulls and Terns, the most widely different forms of which are perfectly unitedby the interposition of a graduated series of intermediate forms, while betweenRhynchops and any of the Laridce there exists a very wide gap. The family iscomposed of the single genus Rhynchops. 192 LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS — LONGIPENNES. Genus RHYNCHOPS, Linnaeus. Link.
. The water birds of North America . slightlyforked. Legs and feet extremely small. The peculiarities of form expressed in the characters given above render this veryremarkable type worthy, according to our views, of family rank, as distinguished fromthe Gulls and Terns, the most widely different forms of which are perfectly unitedby the interposition of a graduated series of intermediate forms, while betweenRhynchops and any of the Laridce there exists a very wide gap. The family iscomposed of the single genus Rhynchops. 192 LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS — LONGIPENNES. Genus RHYNCHOPS, Linnaeus. Link. S. N. ed. 10, I. 1758, 228 ; ed. 12, I. 1766, 228 (type, R. nigra, Linn.).Rhynchops, Lath. Ind. Oru. II. 1790, 802. Char. Same as those of the family. The genus Rhynchops contains only three species, so far as known ; the R. nigra, peculiar toAmerica; R. flavirostris, Vieill., of the Red Sea, and R. albicollis, Swains., of India. We havenot been able to examine either of the exotic species, but upon examining an excellent colored. Ji. nigra. plate of R. albicollis in Gray and Mitchells Genera of Birds (Vol. III. pi. clxxxi.), we areunable to appreciate any point wherein it differs from tin- winter plumage of R. nigra. Rhynchops nigra. THE BLACK SKIMMER. Ryndwps nigra, Link S. N. ed. 10, I. 1758, 228 ; ed. 12, I. 1766, 22S. Rhynchops nigra, Lath. Ind. Orn. II. 1700, S02. — Lawk, in Bairds B. N. Am. 1858, 866. — Bahid, (;it. X. Am. B. 1859, no. 697. — Coues, Key, 1872, 324 ; Check List, 1873, no. 577 ; 2d ed. 1882, no. 809; Birds N. W. 1874, 715. — Ridgw. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, no. , Linn. S. N. I. 1766, 229 (young?).Rhynchops cinerascens, Spix, Av. Bras. 1826, pi. 102 (young).Rhynchops brcvirostris, Spix, Av. Bras. 1826, pi. 103 (young). ? Rhynchops mclanurus, Boie, Swains. Aiiim. in Menag, 1838, 340 (Demerara).Rhynchops borcalis, Swains. 1. c. Hab. Warmer parts of America, south to 45° S., north, along the Atlantic coast, to NewJersey (regularly), or
Size: 1613px × 1548px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1884
