250 THE NATUFIAL HISTORY 



most long legged birds, and yet it bears no manner of 

 proportion to the himantopus ; for a cock flamingo weighs, 

 at an average, about four pounds avoirdupois ; and his 

 legs and thighs measure usually about twenty inches. 

 But four pounds are fifteen times and a fraction more 

 than four ounces and one quarter ; and if four ounces and 

 a quarter have eight inches of legs, four pounds must have 

 one hundred and twenty inches and a fraction of legs ; 

 viz., somewhat more than ten feet ; such a monstrous 

 proportion as the world never saw 1 If you should try the 

 experiment in still larger birds the disparity would 

 still increase. It must be matter of great curiosity to 

 see the stilt plover move ; to observe how it can wield 

 such a length of lever with such feeble muscles as the 

 thighs seem to be furnished with. At best one should 

 expect it to be but a bad walker : but what adds to the 

 wonder is that it has no back toe. Now without that 

 steady prop to support its steps it must be liable, in 

 speculation, to perpetual vacillations, and seldom able to 

 preserve the true centre of gravity. 



The old name of himantopus is taken from Pliny ; and, 

 by an awkward metaphor, implies that the legs are as 

 slender and pliant as if cut out of a thong of leather. 

 Neither Willughby nor Ray, in all their curious researches 

 either at home or abroad, ever saw this bird. Mr. 

 Pennant never met with it in all Great Britain, but 

 observed it often in the cabinets of the curious at Paris. 

 Hasselquist says that it migrates to Egyqt in the autumn : 

 and a most accurate observer of nature has assured me 

 that he has found it on the banks of the streams in 

 Andalusia. 



Our writers record it to have been found only twice in 

 Great Britain. From all these relations it plainly appears 

 that these long legged plovers are birds of South Europe, 

 and rarely visit our island ; and when they do are 



