BLACK-AND-WHITE AVOCET. 307 



beyond the middle, with the tips very small and curved 

 toward each other. The nostrils are small and linear ; the 

 eyes also small, with the eyelids feathered. The tibia is bare 

 for nearly half its length ; the tarsus slender, compressed 

 and reticulated. The hind toe is extremely small and 

 elevated ; the fore toes of moderate length, or rather short, 

 semipalmated or connected by webs, which extend to their 

 ends, but have their anterior margin concave, as if cut out 

 for half their length. The claws are very small, almost 

 straight, tapering obtuse. 



The plumage is very soft and blended on the head and 

 neck ; rather compact on the back and wings ; the latter long 

 and pointed, the first quill being longest, and the other pri- 

 maries rapidly graduated ; the inner secondaries tapering, 

 and some of them, when the wing is closed, reaching to 

 within an inch of the outer primary. The tail is short, 

 nearly even, of twelve rather narrow, rounded feathers. 



The bill is black ; the feet greyish-blue, the toes darker, 

 the claws black. All the upper part of the head, including 

 the loral space, a small band under the eye, and the hind 

 neck for half its length, are brownish-black ; the rest of the 

 neck, all the lower parts, the under wing-coverts, the middle 

 and hind part of the back, and the tail are white. On 

 the fore part of the back on each side is an oblique band of 

 black, including most of the scapulars ; the smaller wing- 

 coverts are black, the larger white, but the inner with a 

 blackish-brown ^patch. The primary quills and their coverts 

 are white at the base, brownish-black in the rest of their 

 extent ; the secondary quills white, as is the alula. 



Length to end of tail 18 inches; bill along the ridge 3^ ; 

 wing from flexure 9^ ; tail 05- ; bare part of tibia 1-pj ; tarsus 

 2-L-V ; first toe -fj, its claw -^ ; second toe lyV, its claw -fj ; 

 third toe 1^, its claw -^5- ; fourth toe 1^, its claw 1 2 J . 



Female. — The female is similar to the male, but some- 

 what smaller. 



Habits. — Not having seen this bird alive, I can give no 

 certain account of its habits, which most authors seem to 



