STILT. GRALLATORES HIMANTOPUS. 247 



perly, however, detached by BKISSON, and obtained from 

 him the generic name of Himantopus, which has been gene- 

 rally adopted by subsequent ornithologists. Its affinity to 

 the Plovers is shewn in the form of its feet ; and the passage 

 to the genus Charadrius is effected through the interposition 

 of some of the longer-limbed species, and by the members of 

 the genus Pluvianus. It also connects the present family 

 with certain groups of the Scolopatida, as it shews an evi- 

 dent affinity, both in form and manners, to the Avosets (ge- 

 nus Recurvirostra) ; amongst which, indeed, WILSON was 

 led to place the North American species, from the great si- 

 milarity observed by that acute inquirer in their respective 

 habits. The present birds inhabit the shores of the ocean, 

 as well as of interior saline and fresh- water lakes, feeding up- 

 on worms, insects, larvae, &c. which are obtained in the 

 muddy shallows of the waters they frequent. Their moult 

 is presumed by TEMMINCK to be double ; for the fact does 

 not appear to be established by actual observation. 



BLACK-WINGED STILT. 



HIMANTOPUS MELANOPTERUS, Meyer. 

 PLATE XXXIX. * 



Himantopus melanopterus, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 2. 528. Horsf. Trans. 



Linn. Soc. 13. 194 Shaitfs Zool. 12. 179. Rennie's Mont. Orn. Diet. 



p. 496. 



Himantopus rufipes, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 4. 446. t. 25. f. 1. 

 Himantopus atropterus, Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. ? 315. 

 Himantopus, Briss. 5. 33. t. 3. f. 1 Rail Syn. 106. 9 Will 219. t. 54. 

 Charadrius Himantopus, Linn. Syst. 1. 255. 11. Gmel. Syst. 1. 690 Lath. 



Ind. Ornith. 2. 2. 741. sp. 3. 

 L'Echasse, Buff. Ois. 8. 114. pi. 8 Id. PL Enl. 878 Cuv. Reg. Anim. 



I. 496. 

 L'Echasse a Manteau noir, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 2. 528. Lesson, Man. 



d'Ornith. 2. 340. 



Schwarzflugelige Strandreuter, Meyer, Vog. Deutsch. 5. 2. Heft 21. 

 Long-legged Plover, Penn. Br. Zool. 2. No. 209 Arct. ZooL 2. No. 405. 



Lath. Syn. 5. 195. 3 Id. Sup. 252 White's Hist. Selb. p. 358 



Lewies Br. Birds, 3. pi. 182 BewicWs Br. Birds, ed. 1826. 1. 1. pi. 365. 



Shaw's Zool. sect. 1. pi. 80. 



Black-winged Longshank, Steph. Shaw's Zool. 12. 180. 

 Stilt, Rennie's Mont. Orn. Diet. p. 496. 



