INTKODUCTOKY OBSEBYATIONS. 



The birds which now come to he described have not in- 

 aptly been named Grallatorial ; for, although some are not 

 remarkable for the elongation of their legs, and several have 

 those members short, yet by far the greater number present 

 a form which suggests the idea of their being elevated upon 

 stilts. But the names of Waders and Littoral, or Shore 

 Birds, by which they have also been designated, although 

 applicable to many of them, are not correct in a general 

 sense, there being among them some which, so far from fre- 

 quenting water, reside in arid wastes, on dry heaths, or culti- 

 vated fields, and others which are habitually addicted to 

 swimming. Some species are remarkable for their extreme 

 speed on foot, while, on the other hand, the merely rudi- 

 mentary structure of their wings disables them from flying. 

 Of these birds, the Ostriches and Cassowaries, however, we 

 have no representatives in Britain. Others run and fly with 

 equal celerity, manifesting in all their actions the greatest 

 activity. Of these birds, the legs, always slender, are often 

 extremely elongated, but in many cases of moderate length 

 or short. The genera Himantopus, Recurvirostra, Nurae- 

 nius, Totanus, Actitis, and Limosa, afford examples of the 

 former; while Charadrius, Cursorius, Glareola, Tringa, and 

 Strepsilas are of the latter kind. Rails, Gallinules, Coots, 

 and Jacanas, being peculiarly fitted for making their way 

 among thick grass, reeds, and sedges, growing in watery 

 places, run with great speed, although their tarsi are not 



VOL. I. WATER BIRDS. _ B 



