TOTANINJE. 85 



incapable of diving, and feeds on insects, mollusca, and worms. 

 It has also been seen far out at sea among floating fuci. 

 From the northern parts of both continents, where it passes 

 the summer, it migrates southward in autumn. It does not 

 appear that individuals remain in England all winter, the few 

 that are seen there occurring in the course of their migra- 

 tions. 



Water Snipe. Red Phalarope. 



Tringa hyperborea, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 249. Phalaropus 

 hyperboreus and fuscus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. ii. 775. Phalaro- 

 pus hyperboreus, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. ii. 709. Lobipes hy- 

 perboreus, Hyperborean Lobefoot, MacGillivray, Brit. Bird;.;, 



FAMILY XXXVI. TOTANIN^E. TOTANINE 

 BIRDS, OR TATTLERS. 



In their general appearance, internal structure, and 

 various organs, the birds which form this family differ 

 little from the Tringinse. But while the latter have the 



o 



body moderately full, the legs of ordinary length or con- 

 siderably elongated, and the bill, though long, soft, and 

 blunt at the end, the Totaninse have the body slen- 

 der, the legs often extremely elongated, and the bill ex- 

 tremely slender, attenuated at the end,, pointed, and in 

 its terminal half firm though elastic. Upper mandible 

 with the ridge convex, the edges inflected, the nasal 

 groove very narrow and extending half its length, the tip 

 narrowed and slightly decurved ; lower mandible with the 

 intercrural space long and extremely narrow, the sides 

 grooved nearly as far as the angle, the edges inflected, 

 the tip narrow. Mouth extremely narrow ; tongue very 

 slender, tapering, horny toward the end, pointed ; oeso- 

 phagus narrow ; proventriculus oblong ; stomach a strong 

 gizzard, with the lateral muscles moderately thick, the 

 epithelium dense and longitudinally rugous ; intestine 

 rather long and of moderate width ; coeca of moderate 

 length and narrow. Nostrils linear, subbasal, pervious. 



