TOTANUS. 259 



Distribution. The breeding home of this species is in North- 

 eastern Europe and Northern Siberia; its winter quarters in 

 Eastern Africa, Southern Asia, and Australia. It is found on the 

 sea-coasts of the whole Indian Empire at that season, but is only 

 common locally. 



Habits, fyc. In India the Avocet Sandpiper is almost confined to 

 the sea-coast and the shores of backwaters and tidal estuaries, 

 where it occurs in small parties. It swims well. Ball killed a 

 male in winter garb on the Orissa coast in May, but Hume 

 found that at Karachi in February a few birds had begun to assume 

 the summer plumage. 



Genus TOTANUS, Bechstein, 1803. 



Bill long, slender, straight or slightly curved upwards ; both 

 mandibles distinctly grooved at each side ; tip of upper mandible 

 hard and bent down. Wings long, pointed; 1st quill longest; 

 tertiaries long; tail moderate, slightly rounded. Legs and feet 

 variable; the tarsus always scutulated in front and behind, generally 

 of nearly the same length as the bill, but occasionally slightly- 

 longer and more frequently a little shorter. Hind toe present ; 

 anterior toes united by web, which is in some species rudimentary 

 between the middle and inner toes. 



Owing to differences in the relative and absolute length of the 

 bill and tarsi, and in the development of the web between the 2nd 

 and 3rd toes, the species here brought together are often distributed 

 into several genera. Amongst the more important distinctions 

 are those of T. fuscus, which has a remarkable dark breeding- 

 plumage, the other species not showing any great change in their 

 summer garb ; T. stagnatilis, in which the tarsus is considerably 

 longer than the bill ; T. glottis and T. ochropus, with a single emar- 

 gination on each side of the sternum instead of two, the latter, 

 moreover, having a peculiar parasitic nidifi cation ; and T. calidris 

 and T. guttifer, in which the web between the 2nd and 3rd toes is 

 well developed. As here regarded, the genus Totanus is generally 

 distributed and contains eight Indian species. 



Eey to the Species. 



a. Bill straight, not curved upwards. 



a'. Small forms ; wing 1 not exceeding 5 ; legs 

 olive or green. 



a". No white on rump T. liypoleucus, p. 260. 



b". Rump white T. glareola, p. 261. 



b'. Wing between 5 and 6 ; legs olive or green. 



c". Lower back brown ; tarsus shorter than bill. T. ochropus, p. 262. 



d'. Lower back white ; tarsus longer than bill. T. stagnatilis, p. 263. 

 c'. Wing over 6 ; lep-s red. 



e". Secondary quills all white T. calidris, p. 264. 



/". Secondary quills barred brown and white T. fuscus, p. 265. 



b. Bill slightly curved upwards ; wing over 6. 



y". Tarsus 2'5 ; legs yellowish green T. fflottis, p. 266. 



/*". Tarsus 175 j legs" dull yellow T. 'guttifer, p. 267. 



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