94 
3SRITISH BiRDS* 
OF THE SANDPIPER. 
The tongue is flender ; toes divided, or very 
flightly connected at the bafe by a membrane 5 
hinder toe weak : their bills are nearly of the fame 
form as thofe of the preceding fpecies, but Ihort- 
er : their haunts and manner of life are alfo very 
fimilar. Latham has enumerated thirty-feven fpe- 
cies and nine varieties of this genus, feventeen of 
which are Britifli, excluhve of thofe which in this 
work are placed among the Plovers ; but the hifto- 
ry and claffification of this genus are involved in 
much uncertainty. 
