TRINGIN^E. DO 



eggs, having the small ends placed together. The young, 

 densely clothed with down, run about from the first. 

 The old birds evince much anxiety for their eggs and 

 young, and feign lameness to entice intruders. The 

 males are smaller than the females. The plumage is 

 renewed in autumn and spring, and is differently colour- 

 ed at different seasons. This order may be divided into 

 three groups or families, of which the characters, how- 

 ever, are not very well defined. These groups are the 

 TRINGIN^E, TOTANISLE, and SCOLOPACINJE, which will be 

 briefly characterised. 



FAMILY XXXV. TRINGIN^E. TRINGINE 

 BIRDS, OR SANDPIPERS. 



Body ovate, compact ; neck moderate or long ; head 

 small, compressed, rounded above. Bill long, straight, 

 or sometimes arcuate, slender, cylindrical toward the end, 

 obtuse. Mouth extremely narrow ; tongue slender, tri- 

 gonal, grooved above, tapering, pointed ; oesophagus nar- 

 row ; proventriculus oblong ; stomach elliptical or round- 

 ish, with very strong lateral muscles, radiated tendons, 

 and thin, dense, longitudinally rugous epithelium ; intes- 

 tine long, rather slender ; coeca moderate, slender, cylin- 

 drical, or oblong ; cloaca oblong. Trachea with a single 

 pair of inferior laryngeal muscles. Nostrils linear, small, 

 pervious, basal. Eyes small. Aperture of ear rather 

 large, roundish. Legs of moderate length or long, slen- 

 der ; tibia bare for a fourth or a third of its length ; tar- 

 sus slender, scutellate ; toes four, the hind toe very small 

 and elevated ; or three only, of moderate length, more or 

 less webbed at the base ; claws small, arched, compress- 

 ed, obtuse. Plumage moderately full, blended, on the 

 upper parts compact ; wings very long, pointed, with the 



