142 WADING BIRDS, 



inch 7^ lines ; the naked thigh 1 inch 1 line. The length of the 

 inner web which connects the toes 2 lines, but that of the outer web, 

 3^ lines or nearly double. — In the adult of summer, the top of the 

 head, scapulars, interscapulars and tertials blackish-brown, edged 

 round the tips with brownish-white and ferruginous. Wing coverts 

 and secondaries hair-brown ; the latter, together with their greater 

 coverts, slightly edged with w^hite. Primaries blackish-brown ; 

 shafts of the first, and of the secondaries brownish-white. Neck, 

 rump, tail coverts, and whole under plumage, hrownish-whiie. The 

 chin, sides of the head and neck, marked with central spots or streaks 

 of liver-brown, largest on the back of the neck ; the rump, tail 

 coverts, and under plumage barred with the same, more distinctly on 

 the flanks, and most imperfectly on the middle of the belly. Chest- 

 nut colored bands on the lores, above the eye, and on the ears. Cen- 

 tral pair of tail feathers blackish-brown, striped, tipped, and barred 

 with ferruginous : lateral tail feathers broccoli-brown, striped on the 

 shafts and inner webs with white. Bill black, long and slender, 

 moderately high at the base, slightly arched towards the point, which 

 is depressed, conspicuously dilated, and minutely pitted when dry. 

 Fore toes webbed ; the inner web smallest, being half the length of 

 the first joint of the inner toe. 



TOTANUS. (BechsL Temm.) 



In these birds, so nearly related to the Snipes and Sandpipers, the 

 BILL is of moderate length, straight, or a little recurved, flexible at 

 base, compressed throughout its whole length, hard, acute, a little 

 curved at the point, and with both mandibles furrowed each side to 

 the middle. Nostrils in the furrows, basal, lateral, linear, pervious. 

 Feet 4-toed ; tarsus long and slender ; a considerable naked space 

 above the knee ; outer toe united to the middle one by a membrane as 

 far as the first, and sometimes to the second joint ; hind toe short, 

 slender, much elevated, touching the ground at tip. Wings, when 

 folded, about as long as the tail ; the 1st primary longest. Tail, gen- 

 erally short, composed of 12 feathers. 



The plumage of the sexes is alike, but the female is somewhat 

 larger. The ijoung differ little from the adult in its winter livery. 

 They moult twice in the year ; the summer and winter plumage 



