THE LONG-SHANKS, OR STILT. 97 



they are inhabitants of the arid places ; and those which 

 leave our downs and wastes, retire to analogous places farther 

 to the south, while the few that remain do not resort to the 

 marshes, even when the weather is severe. They are still 

 pretty numerous in some of the counties along the Channel ; 

 but their numbers are everywhere on the decline, and they 

 flit before the progress of enclosing and planting, their place 

 being occupied by the partridge and the pheasant. * 



THE LONG-SHANKS, OB STILT (Himantopus melanopterus). 



In appearance, this is one of the most singular of birds, 

 equally remarkable for the length of its legs and wings, and 

 having the neck and bill produced, though not in a degree 

 proportionate to the legs. It appears to be a wandering 

 bird everywhere, for which it is admirably fitted by the 

 lightness and compact form of its body, the great length 

 of its legs, and the power of its wings. In England, it is 

 only a rare straggler, and little is known of its habits ; but 

 from the places in which it has been found, as well as from 

 the structure of its feet, it appears to be a wading bird, 

 though, from the form of its bill, not a fisher, or one which 

 seeks its food in the ooze at the bottom of the water. 



Its length, when the legs are stretched out, is about 

 eighteen inches, of which the bill occupies about two and a 

 half, and the feet extend fully five beyond the tail. The bill 

 is slender, subcylindrical, a little flattened at the base, com- 

 pressed towards the point, and black or dusky. The nasal 

 channels extend half the length, the nostrils themselves being 

 long lateral slits. The legs are very slender for their length, 



* The thick -knee is a nocturnal feeder, and its eyes are singularly 

 large and prominent. Its food consists of small mammalia, reptiles, 

 worms, and insects. The geographical range of this species is very 

 wide. It is common in the southern parts of France, in Germany, 

 Italy, Sardinia, and in parts of Africa and Asia. It is not found in the 

 American continent. M. 



VOL. II. H 



