AMERICAN AVOSET. 29 



slightly curved upwards, the point very slender, extremely thin and a little 

 curved upwards. 



Head small, rounded above, rather compressed. Neck long. Body com- 

 pact, ovate. Legs very long, slender; tibia elongated, bare for half its length, 

 and reticulated; tarsus very long, compressed, reticulated with hexagonal 

 scales; toes rather short, the first extremely small; outer toe a little longer 

 than inner; the anterior toes connected by webs of which the anterior margin 

 is deeply concave, the lateral toes thickly margined. Claws very small, 

 compressed, rather blunt. 



Plumage soft and blended. Wings long, of moderate breadth, pointed; 

 primaries straightish, tapering, the first longest, the rest rapidly graduated; 

 secondaries broad, incurved, the outer rounded, the rest becoming pointed, 

 the inner elongated and tapering. Tail short, even, of twelve rather narrow, 

 rounded feathers. 



Bill black. Iris bright carmine. Feet light blue, webs flesh-coloured 

 towards their edges, claws black. Head, neck, and fore part of breast, red- 

 dish-buff, the parts around the base of the bill and the eye nearly white. 

 The back is white; but on its fore part is a longitudinal band of brownish- 

 black elongated feathers on each side, and the inner scapulars are of the same 

 colour, the outer and the anterior edge of the wing being white. The wing 

 brownish-black, with a broad band of white formed by the tips of the secon- 

 dary coverts, four of the inner secondaries, and the basal part, with the inner 

 webs and outer edges of the rest. The under parts white, excepting some 

 of the primary quills and some of their coverts, which are greyish-brown. 



Length to end of tail 18 inches, to end of wings 18j, to end of claws 23^; 

 extent of wings 30f ; wing from flexure 9^; tail 3|; bill along the ridge 3f ; 

 bare part of the tibia 2^; tarsus 3-|; hind toe and claw T 3 g-; middle toe and 

 claw l^f; breadth of foot extended 2-§. Weight 16| oz. 



The Female is similar to the male, but somewhat smaller. 



Young in winter. 



The young in winter is similar to the adult, but with the head and neck 

 white, the dark colours of a browner tint. 



Length to end of tail 18 inches, to end of wings 1S|; extent of wings 30| # 

 Weight 13 oz. 



In structure the Avosets are similar to the Numenii and Totani. In an 

 adult female the tongue is very short in proportion to the length of the bill, 

 being only If inches long, slightly emarginate at the base with a few conical 

 papilla?, slender, tapering to a point, horny on the back, and flattened above. 

 On the palate are two longitudinal series of blunt papilla?. The posterior 

 aperture of the nares is linear, 10 twelfths long, papillate on the edges. 

 The oesophagus is 7 inches and 9 twelfths long, inclines to the right side, and 



