224 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Himantopus. 



XXVIII. — A Review of the Species of the Genus Himantopus. 

 By Henry Seebohm. 



The germs Himantopus contains ten species, and embraces 

 tlie Stilts_, the Avocets, and the Peruvian Stilt and the Banded 

 Avocet, which form the connecting links between them. 



This genus of birds is remarkably homogeneous and well 

 differentiated from all allied genera, and contains species so 

 closely related to each other, that there can be no possible 

 reason for subdividing it in the way which has been adopted 

 by most ornithologists. 



The synonymy o£ the genus Himantopus is as follows : — 



Type. 



Himantopus, Brisson, Orn. v. p. 34 

 (1760) H. melanopterus, 



Avocetta, Brisson, Orn. vi. p. 538 (1760) H. avocetta. 



Recurvirostra, Linnseus, Syst. Nat. i. 

 p. 256 (1766) H. avocetta. 



Macrotarsus, Lacepede, Mem. de PInst. 

 iii. p. 518 (1801) H m,elanopterus. 



HypsibateSy Nitzsch, Ersch u. Grub. 

 Encycl. xvi. p. 150 (1827) H. melanopterus. 



Leptorhynchus, Dubus, Mag. Zool. v. 

 pi. 45 (1835) H. pectoralis. 



Cladorhynchus, Gray, List Gen. B. p. 69 

 (1840) tl. pectoralis. 



It is difficult to say to which genera Himantopus is nearest 

 related. The softness of the plumage resembles that of Pha- 

 laropus, hnt this is probably an evidence of analogy rather than 

 of affinity. The delicate reticulation of the tarsus is similar 

 to that of the bar-tailed species of Charadrius, to which, in 

 spite of the dissimilarity of the bill, the genus may possibly 

 be more nearly allied. The ten species included in Himan- 

 topus may be diagnosed from all the other species of the 

 family Charadriidse by the combination of three characters. 

 Each of these is found in many other species of the family, 

 but no species belonging to it combines all three, except the 



