58 TENTATORES. PROBERS. 



The Pluvialinae have often been referred to the last 

 order ; but in the structure of their skeleton, form of their 

 wings, mode of flying', running - , and procuring their food, 

 these birds are most intimately allied to the other families. 

 Nothing is more common than to see species of the two 

 groups intermingled while feeding. On the sea-shore the 

 Dunlins, for example, and Ring-plovers ; and in summer, on 

 the moors, the Dunlins and Golden Plovers or Lapwings. 



Numerous species occur in Britain. They may be dis- 

 posed into four principal groups or families, namely, the 

 Pluvialinae or Plovers, the Tringinae or Sandpipers, the 

 Totaninae or Tatlers, and the Scolopacinae or Snipes ; of 

 which the peculiar characters will be very briefly given. 



1. Pluvialinae. The head roundish, much rounded 

 above ; the bill generally about the length of the head, but 

 sometimes longer, and often shorter, straight, or very slightly 

 recurvate, mostly slender, compressed, blunt, the upper man- 

 dible with its outline convex toward the end, the nasal 

 groove extending about two-thirds of its length ; eyes gene- 

 rally large and prominent ; feet long and slender ; toes small, 

 rather short, flat beneath, and marginate ; sometimes a dimi- 

 nutive hind toe ; wings long, narrow, pointed or moderately 

 rounded, the inner secondaries elongated and tapering ; tail 

 short, rounded, of twelve feathers. 



2. TringintE. The head small, compressed, rounded in 

 front ; the bill long, straight, sometimes arcuate, sometimes 

 a little bent upwards, slender, compressed, the nasal groove 

 extending nearly to the end; eyes generally small; feet 

 rather long, slender ; toes four, the hind toe very small and 

 elevated, anterior toes of moderate length, sometimes free, 

 generally more or less webbed at the base ; wings long, 

 narrow, pointed, some of the inner secondaries much elon- 

 gated and tapering ; tail short, of twelve feathers. 



(Phalaropin^e. The general characters of the Tringinae 



