253 



St. Leger Wood (Asian, 22nd Feb. 1895, p. 377) writes that he 

 has killed an individual at Raipur. 



Habits, $c. !N"ot known, but the bird is doubtless a feeder on 

 worms or small Crustacea burrowing in mud. So far as is known 

 no Indian specimen, except perhaps Jerdon's, has been obtained 

 on the sea-coast. 



Genus TEREKIA, Bonap., 1838. 



This generic type is in some respects intermediate between 

 Limosa and Totanus, but differs from both in having the bill nearly 

 twice as long as the tarsus. In its habits and eggs it is a Sand- 

 piper, not a G-odwit, and its breeding-plumage differs but little 

 from its winter dress. 



The bill is distinctly curved upwards, rather wide at the base ; 

 the upper mandible slightly bent downwards at the tip ; lower 

 mandible but slightly grooved. Wings long, 1st quill longest ; 

 tail moderate, nearly even. Tarsus scutulated, short, but longer 

 than the middle toe and claw ; anterior toes slightly webbed ; middle 

 claw dilated, not pectinated. 



A single species. 



1459. Terekia cinerea. The Terek Sandpiper or Avocet Sandpiper . 



Scolopax cinerea. GiUdenstadt, Nov. Com. Petrop. xix, p. 473, pi. 19 



(1774). 



Scolopax terek, Lath. 2nd. Orn. ii, p. 724 (1790). 

 Xenus cinereus, Kaup, Natilrl. Syst. p. 115; Bh/th $ Wold. Birds 



Burm. p. 156. 



J)av. S. F. v'i, p. 460; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 486 ; id. Cat. no. 876 ; 

 Ler/ye, Birds Ceyl. p. 836 ; Simson, Ibis, 1882, p. 02 ; Gates, B. B. 

 ii, p. 407 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 351 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxiv, 

 p. 474. 

 Totanus terekius, Seebohm, Charadr. p. 3C9. 



Coloration. Forehead and supercilia, not extending behind the 

 eyes, white; lores brown; whole upper plumage, including rump 

 and upper tail-coverts, greyish brown, with dark shaft-stripes ; 

 lesser coverts and all outer coverts, with the primaries, blackish ; 

 secoudaries brown, broadly tipped and bordered with white ; tail- 

 feathers coloured like the back, the outer rectrices more or less 

 mottled with white ; lower parts white, cheeks, sides of neck, fore 

 neck, and sides of breast more or less sullied and streaked with 

 brown ; axillaries white. 



In summer broader black shaft-stripes are developed, especially 

 on the scapulars ; the sides of head aud neck and the breast are 

 distinctly striated with brown. 



Bill blackish brown, orange-yellow at base ; irides brown ; legs 

 and feet orange-yellow (Legge). 



Length 9-5; tail 2-2; wing 5; tarsus 1-1; bill from gape about 2. 



