708 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



whicTi they may be said to form a well characterized family : the 

 fact of the females beino; much larger than the males militates 

 against their association with the Plovers. 



Gen. Metopidius, Wagler. 



Bill moderate, stout, compressed, thick at the base, culmen 

 curved at the lip ; forehead with a lap[)et or caruncle of skin ; 

 tail short ; nostrils small, ovate, in the middle of the bill ; wings 

 moderate or short, 2nd and 3rd quills longest, 1st sub-equal, 

 spurred, or tuberculate at the shoulder ; tarsus long ; feet enormous, 

 the toes long and thin, and the claws veiy long and pointed ; 

 hind claw especially long. 



900. Metopidius incjicus, Latham. 



Parra, apud Latham — Blyth, Cat. 1613 — P. senea, Cuvier — 

 P. superciliosa, Hoksfield, Zool. Res. Java, pi. — JiiRDoN Cat. 

 o26--Hai:dwicke, 111. Ind. Zool. pi. — P. atrata, Tickkll, (the 

 young) — Dal-pijii, and Jol-pipi, also Karatiya, Beng. — Kattoi, in 

 I'urneah. 



The bronze-winged Jacana. 



Vescr. — Head, neck, and all the under parts rich dark green, 

 glossed on the head, neck, and breast, and with purple reflections 

 on the back of the neck and upper back; a broad white super- 

 ciliurn beginning just over the eye; interscapidars, wing coverts, 

 (except the primary), scapulars, and tertiaries, pale shining 

 bronze; the lower back maroon, with a beautiful purple gloss; 

 tail dark cinereous, the lateral feathers bordered with black, tipped 

 white, and with a whitt- shaft; primary coverts and quills black, 

 faintly glossed with green ; lower abdomen and thigh-coverts 

 dull blackish gr.-en ; under tall-coverts deep chesnut. 



Bill greenish yellow, tinged with red at the ba^e, and the frontal 

 lappet livid ; irides brown ; legs dull green. Female, length 12 

 inches; extent 24; wing 7^; tail If; bill at front l\ ; tarsus 3 

 middle toe and claw 4; hind toe and claw 3^. Male, length 10 

 extent 20^ ; wing 6; tail If; bill 1^ ; tarsus 2| ; middle toe 3^ 

 hind toe o^ ; claw alone 2^. 



