BRITISH BIRDS. 



THE LONG-LEGGED PLOVER. 



LONG SHANKS, OR LONG LEG. 



(Htmantopus Mclanoptcrus, Meyer. Echassc a 

 uiaiiteau twir, Temrn.) 



ITS slender black bill is two inches and a half 

 long, from the tip of which, to the end of the tail, it 

 measures only about thirteen inches; but to the 

 toes, a foot and a half. The wings are long, 

 measuring, from tip to tip, twenty-nine inches; 

 irides red ; the crown of the head, back, and wings, 

 glossy black; tail light grey, except the two out- 

 side feathers, which are white, as are all the other 

 parts, except a few dusky spots on the back of the 

 neck. Its long, weak, and disproportionate legs, 

 are blood red, and measure, from the foot to the 

 upper naked part of the thigh, about eight inches; 

 the toes are short, and the outer and middle ones 

 are connected by a membrane at the base. 



