HIMANTOPUS. 



277 



Typical Stilts. 



HIMANTOPUS MELANOPTERUS. 



COMMON STILT. 



Himanoptus alis omnino nigris : autcapite colloque albis (in adult.), aut pileo et collo postico nigris Diagnosis, 

 (in adolesc.) vel brunneis (in juv.), semper infra nucham albo. 



Immature birds vary in the extent of black or brown on the head and neck. In nearly Variations. 

 mature birds the crown only remains black ; but the presence or absence of black or brown 

 on the ear-coverts appears to be accidental, and not to be affected by age or geographical 

 distribution, though perhaps the dark ear-coverts are most frequent in eastern examples. 



Charadrius himantopus, Linneus, Syst. Nat. i. p. 151 (1758) ; Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p.255 (1766). Synonymy, 



Himantopus himantopus, Brisson, Orn. v. p. 34 (1760). 



Himantopus plinii, Gerini, Orn. Meth. Dig. iv. p. 67 (1773). 



Himantopus candidus, Bonnaterre, Tabl. Encycl. i. p. 24 (1790). 



Himantopus vulgaris, Bechstein, Orn. Taschenb. ii. p. 325 (1803). 



Cursorius himantopus {Linn.), Turton, Brit. Faun. p. 62 (1807). 



Himantopus rufipes, Bechstein, Naturg. Deutschl. iii. p. 446 (1809). 



Himantopus atropterus, Meyer, Taschenb. ii. p. 315 (1810). 



Himantopus melanopterus, Meyer, Ann. Wetter. Gesellsch. iii. p. 177 (1814). 



