Ord^r CHARADRIIF0RME8 
Family RECURVIR08TRIDM 
No. 186. 
RECURVIROSTRA NOV^-HOLLANDI^ STALKERI. 
WESTERN RED-NECKED AYOCET. 
(Plate 143.)* 
Rectjuvirostra nov^-hollandi^ STALKERI Matliews, Nov. ZooL, Vol. XVIII., p. 220, 
1912; Northern Territory. 
Recurvirostra novce-hollandice Keartland, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Austr., Vol. XXII., p. 186, 
1898 ; Carter, Emu, Vol. III., p. 176, 1904 ; Ingram, Ibis 1909, p. 614. 
Recurvirostra novce-hollandice stalkeri Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 220, 1912. 
Distribution. Northern Territory ; North-west Austraha. 
Adult rmle. Head, hind-neck, throat, and fore-neck chestnut ; lower hind-neck, back, 
outer scapulars, tail, and entire under-surface pure white including the under 
tail-coverts, axillaries, and under wing-coverts ; the small marginal coverts round 
the bend of the wing white hke the bastard-wing, greater coverts, secondaries, 
and inner primaries, some of the latter tipped with dark brown ; primary-coverts 
and primary-quiUs black, the basal portion white ; median wing-coverts and long 
innermost secondaries very dark brown ; some of the inner scapulars dark brown, 
others are brown on the inner web and white on the outer one ; small feathers 
round the eye white which mdens out and forms a patch below the eye ; bill 
black ; iris dark red ; tarsi and feet slate-blue. Total length 457 mm. ; culmen 87, 
wing 225, tail 86, tarsus 94. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 
Nest. None made. 
Eggs. Similar to those laid by Hypsibates leucocephalus but larger (Carter). 
Breeding-season. May (Carter). 
This is one of the few birds noted by Dampier in 1699, who figured it in 
A Voyage to New Holland, Vol. III., p. 123, 1709. He there pointed out 
how it differed from the European species. 
Mr. Tom Carter writes : “ This bird is not nearly so plentiful as the 
White-headed Stilt. A few pairs were breeding in company with the Stilts on 
the flooded marsh at Maund’s Landing in May, 1900. Their eggs were laid on 
the ground, and in a small colony apart from the Stilts. The eggs were very 
similar in coloring to some of those laid by the Stilts, but they are larger in 
«ize, and the coloring not so varied. The Avocets were much wilder than the 
* The Plate is lettered Recurvirostra novce-hollandice. 
163 
