BECURVIBOSTBIDjE : AVOCETS AND STILTS. 
611 
like that seen in the h)be-footed phahiropes. Sexes and young alike ; winter and summer plu- 
mage different (in the North American species at any rate). 
(>00. america'na, (Lat. americana, American. Fig. 424.) American Avocet. Blue- 
stocking. Adult ^ 9 5 summer : White, changing gradually to cinnamon or chestnut- 
brown on neck and head, excepting, usually, the parts about base of bill. Interscapulars and 
part of the scapulars black ; wings black, with the lining, and most of the secondaries, white. 
Tail pearl-gray. Iris red (sometimes brown). Legs dull blue (drying blackish), much of the 
webs flesh* color ; bill black, often pale at base below. Size extremely variable : length 
16.00-20.00; extent 28.00-38.00 ! wing 7.00-9.50 ; tail 3.00-4.00 ; bill 3.50, more or less, from 
nearly straight to strongly recurved and hooked ; tibiae bare 2.50 ; tarsus 3.50 or more ; middle 
toe and claw 2.00 or less. Adult ^ 9 , in winter : Head and neck ashy or pearl-gray, like the 
tail ; this has been called B. occidentalis ; afterward considered the young. Young : The 
head and neck strongly washed with cinnamon-brown ; rusty or tawny edgings of the black 
feathers. I have shot scarcely fledged birds in this state ; 
the shank is also peculiarly swollen. U. S. and British 
Provinces ; rare now in E. U. S., only casual in New Eng- 
land ; abounding in the west, especially in the alkaline 
regions, as those of the Yellowstone and Milk River regions, 
Utah, etc. Its appearance is striking, as might be sup- 
posed ; its clamor is incessant when the breeding places are 
invaded. It is not a wary bird, and may easily be ap- 
proached when wading about in small flocks in the shal- 
low alkaline pools it loves so well. Feeds by immersing 
the head and neck for some moments whilst probing about 
with the curitms bill in the soft slimy ooze. On getting 
beyond its depth, it swims with perfect ease, and often 
alights from on wing in deep water. Eggs 3-4, as variable 
in size, shape, and markings as the parents ; from 1.80 to 
2.10 long by 1.25 to 1.45 broad: ground color from dark 
olive to brownish-drab, thence to creamy-brown or buff. Fig. 426. — Stilt. (From Tenney, 
like those of Shanghai fowls; pretty uniformly and pro- ^^^^^ Wilson. ) 
fusely marked with small sharp spots of different shades of chocolate-brown, with neutral- 
tint shell-markings ; on the buff eggs usually smallest and most numerous, bolder on the 
olive ones. 
225. HIMAN'TOPUS. (Gr. IfxavTOTTovsj Jiimantopoits, strap-leg. Fig. 426.) Stilts. Bill ex- 
tremely slender, but not flattened, nor turned up, nor hooked ; longer than head, rather shorter 
than tarsus. Wing long and pointed, folding beyond the short and square tail, which is less 
than half the wing. Legs of unique length and slenderness, the bare part about as long as 
the wing ; tibiae denuded for a great distance ; tarsus about twice as long as toes. Feet 3-toed, 
semipalmate ; but the species scarcely swim. Sexes similar ; young different. 
601. H. mexica'nus. (Lat. mexicanus, Mexican. Fig. 427.) Stilt. Long- shanks. Lawyer. 
Adult ^ 9 • Mantle, constituted by the interscapulars, scapulars, and wings (above and below) 
glossy-black, prolonged up the back of the neck and on top and sides of head, embracing the 
eyes. A spot over and behind eye, one on under eyelid, forehead to opposite eyes, sides of head 
below eyes, sides of neck and entire under parts, together with the lower back, ramp, and 
upper tail-coverts, white ; tail pearl-gray. In life the long black wings fold entirely over the 
white upper parts and tail, so that the bird looks entirely black above. Bill black ; eyes and 
legs carmine, latter, drying yellowish. Length about 15.00; extent about 30.00; wing 8.50- 
9.50; tail 2.75-3.25 ; bill 2.50-2.75 ; tibi« bare 3.00-3.50; tarsus 4.00-4.50; middle toe and 
claw 1.75-2.00. Adults, not in perfect dress : Some of the dark parts brown, not glossy-black. 
