VANELLUS. 



215 



Vanellus macrocercus, Heuglin, Syst. Uebers. Vog. N.O.-Afr. p. 55 (1855) (descript. nulla). 

 Chettusia crassirostris, de Filippi, fide Hartlaub, Journ. Orn. 1855, p. 427. 

 Chettusia macrocercus (Heuglin), Bonap. Compt. Rend, xliii. p. 419 (1856). 

 Vanellus crassirostris (Hartlaub) , Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, Oursores, p. 60 (1865). 

 Defilippia crassirostris (Hartlaub), Salvadori, Att. Soc. Ital. Sc. Nat. viii. p. 373 (1865). 

 Hemiparra crassirostris (de Filippi), Heuglin, Pet. Geogr. Mitth. 1869, p. 415. 

 Limnetes crassirostris (de Filippi), Finsch Sf Hartlaub, Vog. Ost-Afr. p. 641 (1870). 

 Hoplopterus crassirostris (de Filippi), Layard, Ibis, 1871, p. 105. 

 Chettusia nivifrons, Ogden, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1871, p. 196. 



Plates. — Ogden, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad. pi. i. ; Heuglin, Orn. N.O.-Afr. ii. pi. xsxiii. 

 Habits.— Heuglin, Orn. N.O.-Afr. ii. p. 994. 

 Eggs. — Unknown. 



Synonym y. 



Literature. 



The Long-toed Lapwing may always be recognized by the great length of its toes, the 

 middle toe and claw measuring more than one fourth of the length of the wing from the 

 carpal joint. It may also be recognized by the extraordinary amount of white on the wing, 

 the first three primaries only being black, in which respect it resembles Lobivanellus albiceps. 



The Long-toed Lapwing is a resident in East Africa. Its range extends from Nubia 

 (Hartlaub, Journ. Orn. 1S55, p. 427), 

 along the valley of the White Nile (Sal- 

 vadori, Journ. Orn. 1868, p. 67), as far 

 south as lat. 7° N. (Heuglin, Orn. 

 N.O.-Afr. ii. p. 995), across the line 

 to Masai-Land (Fischer, Journ. Orn. 

 1879, pp. 296, 301, 337), the south- 

 east shores of Lake Victoria Nyanza 

 (Reichenow, Journ. Orn. 18S7, p. 47), 

 the basin of Lake Tanganyika (Bohm, 

 Journ. Orn. 1S86, p. 435), the valley of 

 the Zambesi (Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 331), 

 to Zulu-Land, where it is not uncommon 

 on the shores of the lagoons in St. 

 Lucia Bay (Layard, Ibis, 1871, p. 106). 



The affinities of this very aberrant 

 Lapwing are difficult to determine, but its resemblance to the Jacanas and the Rails is 

 probably only a case of analogy. In the struggle for existence the ancestors of this curious 

 bird appear to have turned their backs upon the steppe (or " veldt " to use a South- 

 African term), and to have found a suitable feeding-ground on the floating vegetation of 

 rivers and lakes. Similarity of habits has apparently produced similarity of structure, 

 but there cannot be much doubt that the real affinities of V. crassirostris are with 

 V. speciosus, V. spinosus, and V. inornatus. 



Specific 

 characters. 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



Not allied to 

 the Hails. 



Nearest 

 allies. 



