Mr, H. Seebohm on the Genus Himautopus. 235 



HiMANTOPUS MELANOPTERUS. 



Himantopus himantojnis, Briss. Orn. v. p. 34 (1760). 



Charadnus himantopus^ Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 255 (176G). 



Himantopus candidus, Bonn. Tabl. Encycl. i. p. 24 (1790). 



Himantopus vulgaris, Bechst. Orn. Tasclieub. ii. p. 325 

 (1803). 



Cursorius himantopus (Briss.), Turton, Brit. Faun. p. 02 

 (1807). 



Himantopus rufipes, Bechst. Naturg. Deutsclil. iii. p. 446 

 (1809). 



Himantopus atropterus, Meyer, Taschenb. ii. p. 315 (1810). 



Himantopus melanopterus, Meyer, Ann. Wetter. Gesellsch. 

 iii. p. 177 (1814) ; et auctornm plurimorum. 



Himantopus albicollis, Vieill. N. Diet. d^Hist. Nat. x. p. 41 

 (1817). 



Hypsibates himantopus (Briss.), Nitzseh, Ersch u. Grub. 

 Encycl. xvi. p. 150 (1827). 



Himantopus plinii, Flem. Brit. An. p. 112 (1828). 



Himantopus asiaticus, Less. Bev. Zool. 1839, p. 44. 



Himantopus intermedius, Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. As. Soc. 

 p. 265 (1849). 



Himantopus autumnalis (Hasselquist), apud Gray, Holds- 

 worth, Legge, Heuglin, Walden, Gurney, &c. 



Plates : Dresser, Birds of Europe, vii. pis. 535, 536. 



Habits : Seebohm, British Birds, iii. p. 79. 



Eggs: Seebohm, British Birds, pi. 24. figs. 4, 6. 



The Common Stilt, when in fully adult male plumage, may 

 be recognized by its pure white head and neck. Less mature 

 birds have black on the back of the neck, extending over the 

 crown, biit not reaching the m,antle. Young in first plumage 

 scarcely difl'er from those of the North- American Stilt. 



The Common Stilt is most abundant during the breeding- 

 season in India and Ceylon, where its numbers are increased 

 during winter. Further east it is found during the cold 

 season in Burma ; and stragglers have occurred in Cochin 

 China, Timor, the Philippine Islands, and North China. 

 West of India it is a regular summer visitor to Afghanistan, 

 Turkestan, North Persia, Palestine, Asia Minor, to the salt- 



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