GRALLATORES. 249 



Body wliitc ; breast crossed by a broad band of chestnut, 

 bordered anteriorly with black; wings and centre of the 

 abdomen black ; bill black ; legs reddish yellow. In a spe- 

 cimen, which I presume may be a female, the band on the 

 chest was greyish brown instead of chestnut, and there was 

 no appearance of the black mark on the centre of the abdo- 

 men; and in another the pectoral band w^as apparently 

 disappearing, from which I infer that this mark only exists 

 during the breeding-season. 



Family RECURVIROSTRID-ai. 



Every ornithologist must admit that the Avocets are as 

 singular in their habits, actions, and economy, as they are in 

 their structure. I have, therefore, raised them to the rank 

 of a family. 



Genus RECURVIROSTRA, Lmnmis. 



This form, like that of Ilimantopus, is widely distributed 

 over the globe, since species inhabit America, Africa, Europe, 

 India, and Australia, in which latter country, as in Europe, 

 only one species is found. 



Sp. 519. RECURVIROSTRA RUBRICOLLIS, Temm. 



Red-necked Ave get. 

 Becurvirostris ruhricollis, Temm. Man. d'Orn., part ii. p. 592. 



nova-hollandia, Vieill. 2nde Edit, du Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. 



torn. iii. p. 103? 

 Ya-jin-goo-rong, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western 

 Australia. 



Recurvirostra nibricoUis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vi. 

 pi. 27. 



The western and southern portions of Australia appear to 

 be inhabited by this beautiful Avocet. I did not myself 

 meet with it during my rambles in New South Wales, but I 

 have now and then seen it in collections from those parts. 



Like its European representative, the Red-necked Avocet 



