THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
considered to be the same. Had specimens been compared the differences 
are so striking that no such conclusion could have been arrived at. 
Latham again met with it among the Watling Drawings. Drawing No. 265 
has the data “ 22 inches from the extremities. This bird is found along the 
shores of the sea coast”; Drawing No. 266 is labelled “Native name 
Antiquatich ” ; and Drawing No. 267 has written upon it “ The Natural Size. 
This is a rare bird, only being seen on some Lagoons. A species of the Avocetta.” 
All three are beautiful paintings and easily recognisable as perfectly distinct 
from the American bird, yet all are identified by Latham as “ American Avoset.” 
Subsequently it was differentiated by Temminck in 1820 under the name 
Recurvirostra ruhricollis, and by this name it was known until 1873, when BuUer 
noted that Vieillot had, in 1816, described it as R. novce-hollandioe, and for the 
next twenty years Austrafians persisted in the former name, while Buller was 
followed by few authors. In 1896, however, Sharpe used VieiQot’s name 
correctly in the Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum, and since that 
date it has been consistently accepted, and here again the alteration has 
caused httle inconvenience. 
I have not seen a nesthng of this species, nor have I noted any description. 
I have seen a downy nestling of the South American R. andina, and it had the 
bfil very much turned up in that state, whereas in the fully-grown immature^ 
of R. americana the bill shows very fittle upward inchnation. 
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