251 



HIMANTOPUS. 



THESE appear to be an enumeration of all the 

 species of true Trwga now known to frequent suit- 

 able localities in the British Islands, or to be met 

 with as occasional stragglers along their shores ; 

 many parts of their history are yet incomplete, to- 

 gether with their range of distribution, and both are 

 worthy of the attention of our ornithologists. The 

 remarkable bird which we place next, has an alliance 

 with the Scolopacidce, sufficient, by preference, to 

 place it among them, particularly by its resemblance 

 to the Totani and Tringce, both in form and habits, 

 and leading, by means of a curious New Holland 

 bird figured by Mr. Gould, to the Avosets, it assists 

 to form one point of connexion between the Gralla- 

 tores and truly aquatic birds. 



HTMANTOPUS, Briss Generic characters. Bill 

 long, slender, round, drawn to a fine point; 

 tip of the mandible slightly bending over that 

 of the maxilla (bill sometimes slightly turned 

 upwards) ; nostrils linear, elongated, removed 

 from the base ; wings very long and pointed ; 

 tibiae and tarsi very long and slender, the for- 

 mer naked for the greater part of their whole 

 length ; feet proportionally small, three toes, 

 outer and middle connected by a broad mem- 

 brane, which diminishes between the middle 

 and inner ; claws small, inner edges dilated. 



Types, H. melanopierus^ leucocephalus, &c. 

 Cosmopolite. 



