THE STILTS. 
189 
Himantopus himantopus, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiv. p. 
310 (1896). 
LXXXIII.) 
Adult Male.-General colour above black with a greenish 
gloss ; entire back and rump pure white upper tail-coverts 
pale ashy-grey, the outer feathers with a certain amount of white 
S tl“ LLt’U; wings entirely Wnck, glossed '«!> S^en , 
head and neck all round, upper mantle, and entire unde sur- 
face of body pure white ; under wmg-coverts black ; axillanes 
white: bill blackish j feet rose-pink; , ns deep carmine, lotal 
length, 13 inches; culmen, 2-5; wing, 9'6; tail, 3; tarsus, 405. 
Adult reinale.— Similar to the male, but having the mantle, 
scapulars, and inner secondaries brown instead of black. 
Total length, 13 inches; wing, 9-1. 
Young in First Plnmage.-Similar to the adult female, and 
brown on the mantle, scapulars, and inner secondaries, which 
have sandy-buff margins to the feathers ; the wings are black, 
but have sandy-buff margins, the quills brown on their 
inner webs towards the tips, which are broadly fringed or 
tipped with white; forehead and sides of face white; the 
crown of the head and nape brown ; the hind-neck ashy-grey ; 
under surface of body pure white, with a shade of grey on the 
fore-neck. 
Nestling. — Covered with down of an isabelline colour above, 
varied with rather broad lines of black, with a streak of black 
down the lower back and rump ; the first feathers being sandy- 
rufous, barred ; entire under surface of body creamy-white. 
Range in Great Britain.— A rare straggler to our islands, it 
has been recorded from all the three Kingdoms, Imt has 
seldom been noticed on the western side of Great Britain. 
It has occurred most frequently in the eastern and southern 
counties, and nearly always in summer. 
Range outside the British Islands.— The Stilt breeds throughout 
the Mediterranean countries in suitable localities, as well as in 
Hungary, and thence eastwards through the Aralo-Caspian 
district to Turkestan and as far as the Hoangho Valley. It 
also nests in North-western India, and breeds in South Africa 
along with the Avocets. In winter it visits Africa and India 
