﻿THICK-KNEE. 



open to the eyes of all birds of prey, and vermin of all kinds. 

 The female sits from sixteen to seventeen days on the eggs, 

 being sometimes assisted by the male bird in this office. 

 The young remain one day in the nest, under the care of 

 the mother, and leave it for ever on the second day ; it is 

 also remarkable that in a nest of three eggs rarely more than 

 two birds are hatched. Before the young can provide for 

 themselves the parents take great care of them, and have 

 been observed on the approach of danger, to lead them 

 among standing corn, or potatos, and as soon as they were 

 in safety the parents have been seen to fly off to a distance, 

 in order to distract the attention of the pursuer. 



The entire length of this species is seventeen inches ; the 

 wing measures nearly ten inches ; the beak one inch eight 

 lines in length, of which the basal half is wine-yellow, and 

 the tip black ; the tarsus measures three inches five lines ; 

 the middle toe one inch and a half; the colouring of the legs 

 and feet wine-yellow ; the iris orange-yellow. 



The top of the head and nape are wood-brown, with 

 dusky streaks ; a dark line encircles the eyes, and another 

 originates at the base of the lower mandible, and encircles 

 the ear-coverts ; the cheeks, chin, and throat, white ;■ all 

 the upper parts are wood-brown, each feather bordered with 

 straw-yellow, having a dusky streak along the shafts. A 

 light coloured band runs across the smaller feathers on the 

 wing, about half an inch in width, which appears among the 

 darker feathers as if the colour has been washed out with 

 a brush, and is of a very extraordinary character and ap- 

 pearance ; the under parts are straw-coloured, marked with 

 dusky streaks ; under tail-coverts rufous ; the outer tail- 

 feathers white at the base, and black at the tips ; quills 

 brownish black. The young are more dusky in colouring. 



The egg figured 226 is that of the Thick-knee. 



