THE PALMIDACTYLES. 293 



most delicately flavoured "game." The mere mention of the Wood- 

 cock, Snipe, Plover, Pewit, and Bustard is sufficient to establish 

 their claim upon the epicure. Some kinds, which are utterly devoid 

 of any culinary properties, are furnished with a plumage to which 

 ladies owe many of their most brilliant adornments. The ostrich 

 and marabout feathers, and those of the heron, are much appreciated 

 by many fair ones, whose beauty these adornments are supposed 

 greatly to enhance. In short, this order of Birds possesses two im- 

 portant qualities — ministering to the taste of the most fastidious 

 palate and handsomely decorating our fashionable belles. G or- 

 al andism and coquetry alike find satisfaction, and derive from 

 these birds some of their most agreeable pleasures. If they had the 

 additional gift of melody they might lay claim to perfection ; how- 

 ever, such is not the case, as their notes are shrill and discordant. 



The Waders are monogamous or polygamous, according to their 

 species ; but their history furnishes us with some touching instances 

 of conjugal attachment. They make their nests either on trees, 

 buildings, or the surface of the earth ; sometimes even in the middle 

 of the water, among the reeds, sedges, and other aquatic plants. In 

 general, they evince but little care in the construction of the birth- 

 place of their progeny. In most cases they are contented to collect 

 together a variety of substances without much discrimination ; some- 

 times they merely scratch a hole in the ground, in which they deposit 

 their eggs without any further care. 



The Waders are usually divided into six great families, which 

 are again divisible into many genera. Following Cuvier's classifica- 

 tion, with some slight modification, we propose arranging the group 

 as follows : — I. Palmidadyles. II. Macrodactyles. III. Lo?igiroslrce. 

 IV. Cultrirost?-ce. V. Pi-essirosti-cE. VI. Brevipennce. 



The Palmidactyles 



have the anterior toes united by a wide membrane ; the hind toe 

 is absent, or is small ; the legs are long and smooth ; from their 

 webbed feet they may appear to belong to the Palmipedes, but the 

 arrangement of their toes is altogether different, constituting the 

 most striking characteristic of this order. 



The Avocet {Recurvirostra avocetta, Fig. 109) is characterised 

 toy a very long and slender bill, flexible, and curved upwards ; this 

 latter peculiarity has procured for it the name of Recurvirostra 

 (curved beak). It uses this strange implement to rake up the sand 

 and mud, in order to catch the worms, small molluscs, and fish- 



