Family— RECUR VIR OS THID 
Genus— H YPSIBATES. 
Hypsibates Nitzsch, in Ersch und Grubers Ency., 
Vol. XVL, p. 150, 1827 . . . . . . . . Type H. hhnantopus, 
Himantopus Bonnaterre, Tabl. Ency. Meth. Omith., 
Vol. L, pp. Ixxxii., 24, 1791 (not Hhmntopus 
Muller, 1786) . . . . . . . . . . Type H. hhmntopus. 
Macrotarsus Lacepede, Tabl. Ois., p. 18, 1799 (not 
Macrotarsus Link, 1795, or Macrotarsus Lacepede, 
1799 (Mammal) ) . . , . . . . . . . Type H, hhnantopus, 
Himantellus “ Rafinq, 1815,” Gray, Cat. Gen. Subgen. 
Birds, p. 117, 1855.) 
This family consists of a group of wading birds with long slender bills, long 
necks, and very long legs. Seebohm included all the species in his genus 
Hiinantopus, as he pointed out that the species were connected by various 
features. Thus the members of the genus Hypsibates^ as commonly and here 
restricted, have straight biUs, no hind toe, and small webs to their toes. 
Cladorhynchus has also a straight bill, but the toes are fully webbed and no 
hind toe. Recurvirostra has the bill upturned, the toes fuUy webbed, and 
a hind toe is present. In coloration, upon wliich Seebohm based liis affinities, 
a similar range is noticeable. 
The straight-billed birds are called Stilts, and those with upturned 
bills Avocets ; they are very closely related, as some of the species of 
Avocet have straightish bills when immature. The members of the genus 
Hypsibates have the bill long, thin, and flattened ; it is straight, with the tip 
of the upper mandible decurved over the lower one. The culmen is about 
half the length of the metatarsus ; shorter than the exposed tibia, but longer 
than the middle-toe with claw. The nostrils are hnear, placed near the base of 
the culmen and situated in a groove which extends half the length of the bill. 
The wings are long and pointed, about twice the length of the metatarsus. 
The tail is short and square, about one-third the length of the wing. The legs 
are very long — about twice as long as the culmen and half the length of the 
wing ; the bare tibia is longer than the culmen ; the metatarsus is 
covered with reticulated scales, which tend to fusion in the adult. The outer 
toe is connected to the middle one by a small basal web ; the inner toe is 
not connected. No hind toe. 
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