TOTANINJE. RECURVIROSTRA. 87 



versed papillae, on the palate ; tongue slightly emarginate 

 and papillate at the base, slender, tapering, pointed ; oeso- 

 phagus narrow, dilated a little above the middle ; proven- 

 triculus oblong ; stomach an oblong gizzard, with moderate 

 muscles, large radiated tendons, and dense, longitudinally 

 rugous epithelium ; intestine rather long, and of moderate 

 width ; coeca rather long, cylindrical, narrow. Nostrils 

 linear, perforated, basal. Eyes small. Aperture of ear 

 roundish, rather large. Legs very long, slender ; tibia bare 

 for half its length, and with the tarsus reticulated with 

 hexagonal scales ; hind toe extremely small and elevated ; 

 anterior toes rather short, scutellate, and connected by webs, 

 which are very deeply emarginate ; claws very small, almost 

 straight, compressed, tapering, obtuse. Plumage very soft 

 and blended ; wings long, rather narrow, pointed, the first 

 quill longest, the secondaries broad, incurved, the inner 

 elongated and tapering ; tail short, nearly even, of twelve 

 rather narrow feathers. 



These birds, of which one occurs in Europe, and is some- 

 times met with in England, are much addicted to wading, 

 and are occasionally seen to swim. They do not thrust their 

 bills into the mud, but search it with a lateral wriggling 

 motion of the head, moving the bill from side to side. The 

 eggs are four, pyriform, and spotted. This genus has been 

 entirely misplaced by authors, its affinities being obviously 

 with Himantopus, Totanus, and the other^ genera of the 

 present group. 



194. RECURVIROSTRA AVOCETTA. BLACK-AND-WHITE 

 AVOSET. 



Bill black, feet greyish-blue, claws black ; the upper part 

 of the head, including the loral space, a small band under the 

 eye, and the hind-neck for half its length, brownish-black ; 

 the rest of the neck, all the lower parts, under wing-coverts, 

 middle and hind parts of the back, and the tail, white ; an 

 oblique band of black on the fore part of the back on each 

 side ; smaller wing-coverts black, larger white, the inner with 

 a blackish-brown patch ; primary quills and coverts white at 

 the base, brownish-black in the rest of their extent ; secon- 

 dary quills white. 



