BLACK-WINGED STILT. 677 



HIMANTOPUS. Generic Characters. Beak long, slender, cylindrical, 

 flattened at the base, compressed at the point, both mandibles grooved 

 on the sides along the basal half of their length. Nostrils lateral, linear, 

 elongated. Legs very long and slender, three toes in front, the middle 

 toe united to the outer toe by a membrane of considerable size, and to the 

 interior toe by a membrane of smaller size ; claws or nails very small, 

 flat. Wings very long, the first quill-feather considerably the longest in 

 the wing. 



SIR ROBERT SIBBALD first recorded the Black-winged 

 Stilt as a visitor to these islands from two specimens that 

 were killed in Scotland, and Mr. Don, in his account of 

 the native plants and the animals of Forfarshire, has 

 noticed two others, also killed in Scotland, one on the 

 mountains of Clova, and the other on Ben Lawers, in 

 Perthshire. Dr. J. A. Smith exhibited one killed in 

 Scotland, at a meeting of the Royal Physical Society 

 in Edinburgh. The appearance of this bird, though not 

 unfrequent, is still accidental, and seems to have no re- 

 ference to any particular season of the year. "White of 

 Selborne notices five that were killed out of a flock of 

 six, that visited Frinsham Pond, a large piece of water 

 lying between Wolmer Forest and the town of Farnham, 

 during the last week of April, 1779 ; and Pennant men- 

 tions one that was obtained near Oxford. Mr. Thompson, 

 of Belfast, mentions that one of these birds was seen by 

 Mr. Robert Ball at Youghall, in the winter of 1823. 

 Montagu, in his Supplement, notices one that was killed 

 at Anglesea ; it has been obtained in Devonshire, and in 

 Dorsetshire, the latter near Poole. Mr. William Borrer, 

 Jun. sent me word that an adult specimen had been shot 

 near Havant, in Hampshire, which had been prepared, and 

 was in the possession of F. Hopkins, Esq., of Hubborne 

 Lodge, near Christchurch. 



Of some specimens killed in Norfolk, the Rev. Richard 

 Lubbock sent me an account as follows: " On the ninth 



