52 
AMERICAN STILT.* 
HIMJINTOPUS MEXICJINUS. 
[Plate LV III.— Fig. 2.] 
L’Echasse duMexique, {Mmantopus Meocicanus,)'^^i^s,os , vol. 5,p. 36, No. 2. Peale s 
Museum, No. 4210. 
THE resemblance between this species and the Avoset of this 
volume, figured in Plate LXIII, extends to their general appear- 
ance, their voice, manners, food, place and mode of breeding, and 
the color of their eggs ; so that a common observer would, with- 
out hesitation, pronounce them to belong to the same family. If 
we were at liberty to pursue our inclinations, we should certainly 
class these birds together, from a conviction that what nature ap- 
pears to have so closely conjoined ought not to be separated. But 
in a methodical arrangement, an adherence to recognised distinc- 
tive characters must be paramount to every consideration : hence 
the formation of the feet of this species forbids us to consider it 
as congenerous with the Avoset. The genus Himantopus was es- 
tablished many years ago by Brisson ; but later ornithologists did 
not think proper to adopt it, contenting themselves with classing 
the birds on which it was founded with the Plovers, and yet affect- 
ing to make the particular conformation of the bill, legs or feet, the 
rule of their arrangement. In the present subject, however, ex- 
cepting the trivial circumstance of the want of a hind toe, there is 
no resemblance whatever of those parts to the bill, legs or feet of 
the Plover ; on the contrary, they are so entirely different, as to 
create no small surprise at the adoption, and general acceptation, 
of a classification evidently so absurd and unnatural. 
Named in the plate Long-legged Avoset. 
