378 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



long bills, which may be straight or curved ; the three forward 

 toes may be partially webbed as in the Avocet {Recurmrostra,, 

 avocetta), or lobed as in the Phalaropes (Phalaropus), or united 

 at their base by webbing as in the Curlew (Numenius argmia), 



Fig. 190. — Sgolopacid.e 

 A, Leg and foot of Curlew ; b, Head of Snipe ; c, Beak of Avocet. (Nicholson.) 



but many are free. The legs are usually long and slender and 

 adapted to wading (fig. 190). The basal webbing of the foot 

 is not shown in the figure. 



Gulls and Tbhns (GAViiE). 



The Gulls and Terns are united into one family, the Laridm. 

 They have long wings and either knife-like or hooked bills. 

 The three front toes are always webbed, and the fourth is often 

 very small. The true Gulls (Larus) are the only ones we need 

 refer to. In this genus the fourth toe is placed high up on the 

 metatarsus ; the three front toes are entirely palmate. The bill 

 has a sharp cutting edge, hooked at the tip of the upper 

 mandible. The tail is square at the end. Gulls are normally 

 fish-eaters, feeding upon surface-fish and dead fish along the 

 coast ; garbage of any kind is also devoured by them. Very 



