282 



HIMANTOPUS. 



be an instance of partial melanism. The subject requires further investigation, which may 

 prove either that the two supposed species interbreed regularly and produce fertile 

 offspring, or occasionally cross, producing barren hybrids. 



Synonymy : Himantopus brasiliensis, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 684 (1831). 



Himantopus nigricollis, auctorum multorum, nee Vieillot. 



Literature. Plates. — Sclater and Salvin, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 454 (woodcut of head) ; Baird, Brewer, 



and Ridgway, Water-Birds N. Amer. i. p. 345 (coloured plate of head). 

 Habits. "» Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 198; Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 162; Durnford, Ibis, 1878, 

 Eggs. J p. 67. 



Specific 

 characters. 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



Nearest 

 allies. 



The Chilian Stilt may be recognized by the distribution of the black on the back of the 

 neck, which extends underneath the eye, but not on the croivn, and is separated from the 

 black mantle by a white collar. Young in first plumage are supposed to differ from the 

 young of II mexicanus only in being duller in colour. At a very early age, long before 

 the quills are moulted, the back of the neck becomes nearly black, leaving the crown and 

 the collar at the bottom of the neck grey. Examples which may prove to be birds of the 

 year when their first spring-moult is completed differ from adults in having the crown and 

 the collar more or less mottled with black. It is possible, however, that this may be the 

 result of crossing. 



It breeds in the Chilian subregion of South America, many of the more southerly 

 birds migrating northwards in autumn to winter in South Brazil. 



Hudson found it a resident near Buenos Ayres (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1868, p. 144) ; I have 

 examples collected in Chili by Read probably near Valparaiso ; Bartlett found it breeding 

 in Eastern Peru (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 310) ; Natterer obtained it in Western Brazil 

 (Mus. Salvin and Godman) ; and it was originally described by Brehm from the latter 

 country. Durnford confirmed Hudson's statement that it was, to some extent, a resident 

 near Buenos Ayres, but adds that " the greater part leave in the spring and summer," so 

 that its breeding-range must extend further south. 



The Chilian Stilt appears to be most nearly related to the Australian Stilt, scarcely 

 differing from it except in having a black band on the side of the head, and less white on 

 the collar. It is, however, almost as nearly related to the North- American Stilt, being, in 

 fact, an intermediate form between the two. 



