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STREPSILAS. TURNSTONE. 



Bill a little shorter than the head, slightly bent upwards 

 beyond the middle, compressed until towards the end ; upper 

 mandible with its dorsal outline slightly concave, the ridge 

 somewhat flattened, but towards the end convex, the sides 

 sloping at the base, afterwards convex, the edges rather 

 sharp and slightly inflected, the tip depressed and blunt ; 

 lower mandible with the angle narrow, the dorsal outline 

 ascending and slightly convex, the ridge rounded, the sides 

 sloping outwards and grooved at the base, convex towards 

 the end, the edges a little involute, the tip depressed and 

 blunt. The nasal groove occupies one half of the length of 

 the bill, and the gape-line is very slightly recurvate. 



Eyes of moderate size, margins of eyelids papillate. 

 Aperture of ear transversely oblong, of moderate size. Nos- 

 trils sub-basal, linear, lateral, perforate, the nasal groove 

 bare. The body is ovate and rather full, the neck rather 

 short, the head oblong, of considerable size, and rounded in 

 front. The feet are slender and of moderate length. Tibia 

 bare for a short space ; tarsus rather short, somewhat com- 

 pressed, anteriorly covered with numerous scutella ; toes 

 three before, of moderate length, slightly webbed at the 

 base, the third longest, the second a little shorter than the 

 fourth, the first very small ; claws short, compressed, arched, 

 obtuse, that of the hind toe sharper and more curved. 



Plumage rather compact above, blended beneath, very 

 short on the fore part of the head and on the middle of the 

 back ; scapulars elongated and narrow. Wings long, narrow, 

 pointed ; quills twenty-six ; primaries tapering, the first 

 longest, the rest rapidly graduated ; outer secondaries short, 

 incurved, obliquely rounded with a point ; inner greatly 



