THE 800LOPACINJE. 137 



8. Hypsibates himantopw (Himantopw rnfipes, ALIOR.). On the head, and as far as the 

 middle of the neck, the plumage is uninterrupted ; at this point the broad lateral neck-space 

 commences, and soon afterwards also the inferior space. The rest of the pterylosis is not pecu- 

 liar, but the tracts are narrow. The posterior part of the dorsal tract is divided almost as far as 

 the caudal pit, and the following simple uropygial band is not dilated, although the limbs in front 

 of it are widened. The long lumbar tract is pretty strong. In the wing I counted twenty-nine 

 remiges, of which the first is the longest ; the tail contains twelve rectrices. 



9. Recurvirostra avocetta. The lateral neck-space and inferior space reach only to the 

 middle of the neck. In the inferior tract I was struck by the much greater distance of the two 

 main stems from the crest of the sternum. The posterior half of the dorsal tract is at first 

 parsely feathered, perhaps without any longitudinal space, and extends far within the branches 

 of the fork of the anterior part. The simple uropygial band is more densely feathered, and 

 commences as far forward as the middle of the pelvis ; it has scattered contour-feathers beside it, 

 especially in front, but remains quite separate from the lumbar tracts. The contour-feathers 

 which stand between the branches of the fork of the anterior part of the dorsal tract are as long 

 as the large feathers of the axillary tract, which is very remarkable. In the wing I counted thirty 

 remiges, and the first, as usual, was the longest ; in the tail there are twelve feathers. 



10. Dramas ardeola. The pterylosis exactly as in the Avocet, even to the dorsal tract, remiges, 

 and rectrices. The oil-gland remarkably thick and large, like that of the Stork, but with only two 

 wide orifices. It is, however, provided with equally wide apertures also in Recurvirostra, Hypsi- 

 bates, Limosa, Scolopax, and Numeniits. 



[11. Chionis alba. This singular bird, which I have recently examined carefully as to its 

 pterylography, belongs to the Scolopacinee in every particular, as was first stated by Blainville 

 (' Ann. Sci. Nat.,' nouv. ser., torn, vi, p. 99), and, in my opinion, stands in the same relation to 

 Hcematopus as Dramas to Recurvirostra. It has exactly the pterylosis of Recurvirostra, although 

 both the lateral neck-space and the inferior space extend higher up on the neck, 1 and in the 

 dense continuous plumage of the head there is a naked spot, covered with warts, extending 

 beneath the eye from the angle of the mouth nearly to the ear. The tract-bands are remarkably 

 broad and strong, especially the main stem of the inferior tract, which is placed closer than usual 

 to the outer branch, exactly as in Recurvirostra. The dorsal tract I could not accurately dis- 

 tinguish, the skin having been divided down the middle of its upper surface. I noticed only the 

 strong limbs of the anterior part, and that the posterior part was of weak formation, especially in 

 front. The lumbar tracts, which are very strong, are not in contact with the posterior part. In 

 the wing, which is rendered remarkable by a short, thick spur situated at the wrist-joint, there 

 are twenty-five very acute remiges, of which the posterior on the ulna are as long as the anterior 

 on the pinion, but, during repose, are almost completely covered by the long axillary feathers. The 

 tail bears twelve feathers, of which the middle ones are somewhat abbreviated, so that it appears 

 slightly furcate ; the outermost on each side is, however, shorter than the following one, which is 

 the longest. The oil-gland was remarkably thick and large, and the entire plumage was every- 

 where perhaps stronger and denser than in any other Scolopacine Bird. The legs are short, and 

 naked only from the heel-joint ; they are closely covered with small verruciform scales, but on the 



This appears to be a peculiarity of all short-necked genera, a ptUosis continua occurring in the 

 long-necked forms, at least on the upper part. BURM. 



IS 



