HIMANTOPUS NIGRICOLLIS, BLACK-NECKED STILT. 463 



Recurvirostra Mviantopus, WiLS., Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 48, pi. 58, f. 2. 



Himantopus nigricollis, Vieill., Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. x, 1817, 42 ; Enc. Meth. 340 ; 

 Gal. Ois. ii, 1834, 85, pi. 229.— Bp., Svu. 1828, 322; List, 1838, 54.— Nutt., Man. 

 ii, 1834, 8.— AuD., Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 247, pi. 328 ; Svu. 1839, 253 ; B. Am. vi, 1843, 

 31, pi. 354.— Emm., Cat. B. Mass. 1835,5.— Peab., Eep. Orn. Mass. 1839, 358.— GiR., 

 B. L. 1. 1844, 270.— PuTN., Pr. Ess. Inst, i, 1856, 230.— Newb., P. R. R. Rep. vi, 

 1857, 99 (California to the Columbia River).— Sall^, P. Z. S. 1857, 237.— ScL., 

 Ibis, i, 1859, 228 (Guatemala). — Newt., ibid. 260 (Santa Cruz). — Dkess., ibid. 



1866, 33 (Texas) — Bry., Pr. Bost. Soc. vii, 1859 (Bahamas).— Scl., P. Z. S. 1857, 

 206 ; ibid. 1864, 178 (Mexico) ; ibid. 1860, 290 (Ecuador) ; 1866, 567 (Ucayali) ; 



1867, 591 (Mexiana) ; 1870, 323 ; 1873, 310, 453 (Peru).— Bd., B. N. A. 1858, 704.— 

 Wheat., Ohio Agric. Rep. 1860, No. 193. — Verr., Pr. Ess. Inst, iii, 158 (coast 

 of Maine, one instance). — Board:\i., Pr. Bost. Soc. ix, 1862, 128 (same instance). — 

 Allen, Pr. Ess. Inst, iv, 1864, 86.— Lawr., Ann. Lj^c. N. Y. viii, 1863-'6G, 295 

 (Panama and New York). — Coues, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1866, 91 (Arizona). — Coues, 

 Pr. Bost. Soc. xii, 1868, 124 (South Carolina).— Coues, Pr. Ess. Inst, v, 1868, 

 292 (New England, rare or accidental). — Allen, Am. Nat. iii, 1869, 638 (Mas- 

 sachusetts). — TuRNB., B. E. Pa. 18C9, 29 (rather rare, breeding). — Mayn., Guide, 

 1870, 143.— Allen, Bull. M. C. Z. ii, 1871, 356 (Florida, in winter) ; iii, 1872, 

 172 (Great Salt Lake).— Merr., U. S. Geol. Surv. Ter. 1872, 702 (Great Salt 

 Lake).— Gray, Hand-list, iii, 1871, 48, No. 10294.— Coues, Key, 1872, 247, fig. 

 160.— RiDGW., Ann. Lye. N. Y. s, 1874, 385 (Illinois). 



nypsibatcs )iigricolUs, Cab., Schomburgk's Reise, iii, 758. 

 Macrotarsus nigricollis, Gundl., J. f. O. iv, 1856, 422. 



b ? brasiliensis. 



Himantopus vielannrus, Vieill., Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. x, 181'?, 42 ; Ency. Meth. 340 



(from Zancudo, Az., Apunt. iii, 299?). 

 Himantopus leucurus, Vieill. (Grog.) 



Himantopus mexicauus, Hautl., Ind. Azara, 25 (not of authors). 

 Himantopus nigricollis, Gay (Schiter). — Cass., Gillis's Exp. ii, 196. — Burm.. Rei.se, ii, 502 



(La Plata).— Darw., Beagle, 130 (La Plata).— Scl., P. Z. S. 1867,339 (Chili).— 



ScL. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1868, 144 (Bueuos Ayres). 

 Himantopus brasiliensis, Breiim, Vog. Deutschl. 1831, 684.— Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1373, 



454 (figures of heads of the two varieties). 



Hal). — The typical form from the United States generally, Mexico, part of West In- 

 dies, Central America, and South America to Peru and Brazil. Var. brasiliensis from 

 South Brazil, Argentine Republic, and Chili. 



Respecting the var. brasiliensis, Mr. J. E. Harting, in a letter to Prof. Baird, which has 

 been sent to me, states : "The diifereuce in the measurements of the two species is 

 very striking ; the wing, tibia and tarsus in the southern brasiliensis being all, respect- 

 ively, about an inch longer than in the northern nigricollis." A point not given in 

 Messrs. Sclater and S^lvin's paper is, that the disposition of the colors of the u])per 

 parts also differs, the black of the neck being out oft' from that of the back by a white 

 interval ; this being. Mr. Harting remarks, a resemblance to the //. lencocejihahis of 

 Australia and New Zealand. The form may prove to be specifically distinct. 



•Not obtained by either of the earlier Expeditions. 



Later ^x/Krfi/ioos.— 61643-4, June 19, 1872, Great Salt Lake, Utah (Merriam). 



Some of the vagaries that from time to time have found their way 

 into jii int, rei)resoiitiug sober opiuions of naturalists who, from the most 

 superfi(;ial observation of Stilts and Avocets, mi.aht have learned better, 

 are e.\tremely curious. The slight upward curvature of the Avocet's 

 bill has served whereon to hang fables and theories too absurd to de- 

 serve a moment's serious consideration ; and it has been repeatedly 

 caricatured in illustration.s. The imagination has ahso been stretched 

 out of all due proportion to treat of the really very long legs of the Stilts, 

 and drawn upon to support hypothese.s even more feeble and tottering 

 than the gait which some authors attribute to the bird. It is easy to 

 see how such notions had their origin. Descriptions and figures were 

 at first taken from stuffed si)ecimens, awkward preparation of which, or 

 else the unavoitlable shrinkage of the delicate and vascular bill, resulted 

 in a false shai)e. It would be hard to find the bill of a live Avocet of 

 the shape re])resented by Wilson aiul Nuttall ; Audubon's figure is the 

 most accurate one 1 have seen. The other fallacy, respecting the gait 



