Mr. A. E. Knox, after stating that a specimen of the Black-winged Stilt was killed on the 17th o f May,
1859, on the banks of a small pond near the junction o f Midhurst and Bepton Commons, says:—“ As
opportunities for observing the habits and manners of these rare and accidental visitors so seldom occur, I
make no apology for detailing some circumstances which appear to me to be especially worthy o f notice, as
tending to throw light on its remarkable and, to the ordinary observer, grotesque external conformation.
“ The pond to which I have alluded is very shallow, the depth of the water, even at fifteen paces from
the shore, scarcely exceeding a foot. About that distance from the banks, the surface was covered with
numerous blossoms of the Water-Crowfodt (Ranunculus aquatilis). On examining these next day and
frequently afterwards, I found them inhabited by numerous minute Dipterous and Coleopterous insects
(small flies, midges, and beetles) comfortably nestled at the bottom of the flowers among the stamens, from
which, indeed, none but the most delicate and attenuated instrument would be capable of extracting them
without at the same time injuring the blossoms. Now, not one o f our wading or swimming birds, except
the Stilt, possesses a beak perfectly adapted to this purpose. But the Stilt has a bill almost as finely pointed
as that of a Humming-bird ; and those which make the nearest approach to it, as some among the smaller
WngtB, want the accompaniment o f length of limb (th a t unusual development of tibia and tarsus) to enable
them to wade to a sufficient distance from the shore.
“ The bird was first noticed by an intelligent lad, the son o f a small farmer of the name of Pearson, while
driving the cows home to be milked in the evening. It was then standing nearly up to its belly in the
water, and rapidly extracting the insects from the flowers, or, as the boy supposed, picking the petals
themselves. It allowed him to approach within twenty yards before it took flight, when it extended its long
red legs behind it, after the manner of a heron, and, alighting again on the opposite bank, immediately
commenced wading out to the water-plants. Young Pearson then hastened home to his father, who lives
a t a short distance from the pond ; and the latter, hurrying to the spot with a loaded gun, found the bird
employed as before among the flowers o f the Water-Crowfoot. But it was now exceedingly shy and wary,
flying from one side of the pond to the other before Pearson could ge t within shot (but never uttering
any cry or sound), so that he found it necessary to endeavour to *' stalk ” the bird. This a newly made ditch
and bank, one end of which approached within a few yards o f the water’s edge, enabled him to do succesfully.
On raising his head above the bank ju st before he fired, he perceived the Stilt within twenty yards o f him,
knee-deep in the water, in the midst of a cloud of gnats and midges, at which it was snapping right and left,
much after the manner of a dog when teased by the flies in hot weather. The bird, fortunately but little
injured by the shot, was brought to me the following morning, and, on dissection, proved to be a female.
The ovarium contained several eggs, the largest of whicli was about the size o f a pea. The stomach was
crammed with beetles and gnats in a half-digested state, the elytra of the former showing that different
species had been captured. I could not help being struck with the remarkable tenuity o f the tips o f the
mandibles, as well as by the more obvious peculiarity from which the bird has derived its trivial name (the
extraordinary length o f its legs) ; but after listening to the simple story of George Pearson and his son, I
perceived that the mystery was solved, and that here was a new instance of the wonderful adaptation of
means to an end, of structure to habits, such interesting examples o f which are continually presenting
themselves to the observant naturalist.”—Ibis, 1859, p. 395.
Mr. Salvin says :—“ Over the whole of the lower end o f the marsh o f Zana and Chot Saboun the Stilt
breeds in great abundance amongst the wet grass, choosing for the position o f its nest a small tuft, so as just
to keep the eggs out of the water.
“ The bird usps its long legs with much greater ease than might be expected; and its long delicate strides,
as it stalks about in search o f food, are far from being ungraceful. The only time they seem to be in its
way is at the moment of taking flight, when they hang awkwardly down till the bird, being fairly started,
stretches them out far beyond the tail.
“ T he young Stilt is able to walk almost immediately on leaving the e g g ; one we found was capable of
moving about while the other three were struggling to free themselves from the shell. The nest is composed
o f a few bits of dead reed o r grass. The complement of eggs laid by one bird is four.” (Ibis, 1859,
p. 361.) They are of a buffy stone-colour, thickly blotched all over with purplish black.
My specimens o f Himantopus candidus from North Africa, which have the back of the neck nearly white,
indicate that the female has the back brown instead of rich greenish black as in the male. F o r the loan of
the young bird represented on the opposite Plate, I am indebted to the kindness o f A. W. Crichton, Esq.
The larger figures are those of the two sexes, o f the size of life.