THE PALMIDACTYLES, 293 
most delicately flavoured “game.” The mere mention of the Wood- 
cock, Snipe, Plover, Pewit, and Bustard is sufficient to establish 
their claim upon the epicure. Some kinds, which are utterly devoid 
of any culinary properties, are furnished with a plumage to which 
ladies owe many of their most brilliant adornments. The ostrich 
and marabout feathers, and those of the heron, are much appreciated 
_by many fair enes, whose beauty these adornments are supposed 
greatly to enhance. In short, this order of Birds possesses two im- 
portant qualities — ministering to the taste of the most fastidious 
palate and handsomely decorating our fashionable belles. Gor- 
mandism and coquetry alike find satisfaction, and derive from 
these birds some of their most agreeable pleasures. If they had the 
additional gift of melody they might lay claim to perfection ; how- 
ever, such is not the case, as their notes are shrill and discordant. 
The Waders are monogamous or polygamous, according to their 
species ; but their history furnishes us with some touching instances 
of conjugal attachment. They make their nests either on trees, 
buildings, or the surface of the earth ; sometimes even in the middle 
of the water, among the reeds, sedges, and other aquatic plants. In 
general, they evince but little care in the construction of the birth- 
place of their progeny. In most cases they are contented to collect 
together a variety of substances without much discrimination ; some- 
times they merely scratch a hole in the ground, in which they deposit 
their eggs without any further care. 
The Waders are usually divided into six great families, which 
are again divisible into many genera. Following Cuvier’s classifica- 
tion, with some slight modification, we propose arranging the group 
as follows :—I. Palmidactyles. II. Macrodactyles. III. Longirostre. 
IV. Cultrirostre. V. Pressirostre. NI. Brevipenne. 
THE PALMIDACTYLES 
have the anterior toes united by a wide membrane; the hind toe 
is absent, or is small; the legs are long and smooth; from their 
webbed feet they may appear to belong to the Palmipedes, but the 
arrangement of their toes is altogether different, constituting the 
most striking characteristic of this order. 
The Avocet (fecurvirostra avocetta, Fig. 109) is characterised 
by a very long and slender bill, flexible, and curved upwards; this 
latter peculiarity has procured for it the name of Mecurvircstra 
(curved beak). It uses this strange implement to rake up the sand 
and mud, in order to catch the worms, small molluscs, and fish- 
