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HIMANTOPUS. STILT-SHANK. 



The importance of the hind toe in the Grallatores has 

 been much over-rated, otherwise the Himantopi, which in 

 all essential characters are most intimately connected with 

 the Totani and Recurvirostrse, would never have been placed 

 in connection with the Plovers, with which they have very 

 little affinity. A similar error has been committed by M. 

 Temminck, when, on account of their agreeing in having 

 scolloped margins to their toes, he places together, to consti- 

 tute his family of Pinnatipedes, birds so essentially different 

 in structure as the Coots, Phalaropes, and Grebes, separating 

 the first from the Gallinules, which differ very little from 

 them, the last from the Divers, with which they are inti- 

 mately connected, and the Phalaropes from the Tringse and 

 Totani, which are their natural allies. Thus it is that arti- 

 ficial distinctions give rise to unnatural associations. 



The Himantopi are of a singularly slender form, with 

 legs so extremely elongated as to suggest the idea of a bird 

 walking on stilts. The body, however, is rather compact, 

 and possessed of considerable muscularity ; but the neck is 

 very long and slender ; the head small, compressed, and 

 much rounded above. 



Bill about twice the length of the head, almost straight, 

 being very slightly recurved, very slender, roundish, taper- 

 ing ; upper mandible with the ridge convex, rather flattened 

 at the base, the sides convex, the nasal groove extending 

 half its length, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip very 

 narrow, rather acute, and slightly decurvate ; lower man- 

 dible with the angle long and extremely narrow, the sides 

 grooved nearly as far as the angle, the edges sharp and 

 inflected, the tip extremely narrow, and just at the end 

 turned a little upwards. Both mandibles are concave within, 



