112 BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 



Eivtralimilal Bange. North-east Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia 

 (in South America), Galapagos, North and Central America, and 

 the West India Islands. 



Habits. Schomburgk states (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 758) that this 

 Stilt lives on the sand-banks and along the shore. 



Mr. J. J. Quelch (Timehri (2) x. p. 273) observed this species 

 in British Guiana, and remarks : — "A very curious and distinct 

 form, which is certainly a migrant in the United States, and one 

 that is by no means a common resident or an obtrusive migrant 

 here, is the Black-necked Stilt, familiarly known also as Red-legs 

 or Longshanks [Himayitoptis nigrlcolUs). This bird is to be found 

 here at all times of the year, but more especially at the beginning 

 of the drying off of the water of the heavy wet season, when they 

 may occasionally be met with in pairs on the grassy lands of the 

 coast or on the mudflats. '\ . . ." It is a remarkable thing that, when 

 the bird stands upon one leg and the other is drawn up near the 

 body, in spite of the great length of the limb, it is hidden entirely 

 in the feathers of the breast and abdomen, so that not a vestige of 

 it is exposed. To the closest observation the bird appears then to 

 be decidedly one-legged. Its perfect balance, too, is noteworthy, 

 more especially considering the absence of the hiutl-toe. 



" It was curious to note, in the case of a bird which was kept in 

 confinement for some weeks, that whenever worms were given to 

 it, it invariably dropped them in the little tank of water in its 

 case before eatiuo- them." 



Genus NUMENIUS Briss. 

 JSfinnenhis Brisson, Orn. v. p. 261, 1760. Tj^pe N. arqimtus (Linn.). 



The chief characters which distinguish the members of this 

 genus are the arched bill, the transverse scutes on the front of the 

 tarsus, and the reticulations on the hinder aspect. 



Key to the Species. 



A. Larger, wing more than 220 mm., culmen move than 



80 ; primary-quills barred or nolchod vvitli buff 



on the inner web JNT. hnclsomcvs, 



B. Smaller, whig less than 220 mm., culmen less than [p. 113. 



80 ; inner wobs of primary-quills miiform N. horea/is, 



[p. lU. 



