TOTANINJE. RECURVIRQSTRA. 
87 
versed papillae, on the palate ; tongue slightly emarginate 
and papillate at the base, slender, tapering, pointed ; oeso- 
phagus narrow, dilated a little above the middle ; proven- 
triculus oblong ; stomach an oblong gizzard, with moderate 
muscles, large radiated tendons, and dense, longitudinally 
rugous epithelium ; intestine rather long, and of moderate 
width ; coeca rather long, cylindrical, narrow. Nostrils 
linear, perforated, basal. Eyes small. Aperture of ear 
roundish, rather large. Legs very long, slender ; tibia bare 
for half its length, and with the tarsus reticulated with 
hexagonal scales ; hind toe extremely small and elevated ; 
anterior toes rather short, scutellate, and connected by webs, 
which are very deeply emarginate ; claws very small, almost 
straight, compressed, tapering, obtuse. Plumage very soft 
and blended ; wings long, rather narrow, pointed, the first 
quill longest, the secondaries broad, incurved, the inner 
elongated and tapering ; tail short, nearly even, of twelve 
rather narrow feathers. 
These birds, of which one occurs in Europe, and is some- 
times met with in England, are much addicted to wading, 
and are occasionally seen to swim. They do not thrust their 
bills into the mud, but search it with a lateral wriggling 
motion of the head, moving the bill from side to side. The 
eggs are four, pyriform, and spotted. This genus has been 
entirely misplaced by authors, its affinities being obviously 
with Himantopus, Totanus, and the other genera of the 
present group. 
194 . Becurvirostra Avocetta. Black-and-white 
Avoset. 
Bill black, feet greyish-blue, claws black ; the upper part 
of the head, including the loral space, a small band under the 
eye, and the hind-neck for half its length, brownish-black ; 
the rest of the neck, all the lower parts, under wing-coverts, 
middle and hind parts of the back, and the tail, white ; an 
oblique band of black on the fore part of the back on each 
side ; smaller wing-coverts black, larger white, the inner with 
a blackish-brown patch ; primary quills and coverts white at 
the base, brownish-black in the rest of their extent ; secon- 
dary quills white. 
