AVES— BUSTARD. ...PLOVER. 621 



THE LITTLE BUSTARDi 



Differs only from the preceding in being of a smaller size, being not larger 

 than a pheasant, or about seventeen inches in length. This species is found 

 in many parts of Europe. It is, however, by no means common in France, 

 and has only been met with three or four times in England. 



ORDER XIII. — GR ALL ATORE S. 



BiFvDs of this order have the bill of various forms, but most frequently 

 straight, in the form of an elongated cone, and compressed, more rarely de- 

 pressed or flat ; legs slender, long, more or less naked above the knee, three 

 toes before and one behind, the posterior one jointed at the level of those be- 

 fore, or more elevated. These birds frequent the margin of the sea, or the 

 banks of lakes and rivers, feeding on fish, wonns, or insects. They are 

 almost all semi-nocturnal. 



THE LONG-LEGGED P L V E R .2 



This singular bird, we might perhaps justly say, most singular of birds, 

 inhabits the south of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, but very rarely 

 visits England. Chance alone seems to drive it to that country. It has a 

 slender, black bill, two inches and a half in length ; the irides are red ; the 

 forehead, round the eye, and all the under parts, are white ; the back, the 

 crown of the head, and the wings, are glossy black ; the hind part of the 

 neck is marked with dusky spots ; the rump is v/hite ; the tail the same, 

 inclining to gray ; the outer feathers are quite white, the legs red ; and the 

 outer and middle toes connected at the base. 



1 Otis tetrax, Lin. 



^ Himantnpvs melavoptents, Meyer. The genus Him ant opvs has the hill long, slen- 

 der, cylindrical, flattened at the base, compressed at I he ijoint ; mandihles laterally chan- 

 nelled to the half of their lensjth ; nostrils lateral, linear, long-; legs very long and slender, 

 with three toes before, of which the intermediate is united to the outer hy a liroad mem- 

 brane, and to the inner by a rudimentary one ; claws very small and flat; wings very 

 long; the first feathers much longer than the others. 



