292 



CHAPTER IV. 

 GRALLATORES, OR WADING BIRDS. 



The most striking characteristic of the Waders consists in the naked- 

 ness and length of their tarsi, which sometimes attain to really 

 extraordinary dimensions : some of these birds look as if they were 

 mounted on stilts. This peculiarity of conformation is, however, well' 

 adapted to their modes of life. They inhabit, for the most part,, 

 river-banks, lakes, and marshes, in which they find their sustenance ) 

 consequently, they are fearless of water and ooze. The Agami, the; 

 Bustard, and the Ostrich, as well as the Emu and other Slruthionida^ 

 which are placed by naturalists with this family, are not aquatic ; they 

 inhabit the interior of the country, and are either herbivorous or 

 granivorous. 



The bills of these Birds assume very various forms. They are 

 generally long ; but, according to the species, they may be thick or 

 slender, tapering or flat, blunt or pointed, strong or weak ; and in 

 some kinds, such as the Flamingo, the Spoonbill, and the Boatbill, 

 they really defy all description. The neck is always slender, and in 

 perfect harmony with the length of the legs. 



Almost all the Waders are Birds powerful on the wing, and twice 

 a year most of them migrate, like Ducks, Geese, and Swans. There 

 are, however, exceptions to this rule. Some of them — the Bustard, 

 for instance — move through the air with difficulty, although their 

 inferiority in this respect does not reach to complete inability ; others, 

 as the Brevipenna, are absolutely unable to fly at all : their wings 

 being altogether rudimentary, and are only useful for accelerating 

 their pace in running ; and, thus assisted, they are remarkably swift 



The nature of their food varies with the form and strength of the 

 bill and the locality they inhabit ; it consists generally of fish, small 

 batrachia, molluscs, worms, and insects ; sometimes of small mam- 

 malia and reptiles, and more rarely of grasses and seeds. This kind 

 of sustenance must be wonderfully fitted to develop the savoury 

 qualities of their flesh, for it is among this class that we find our 



