130 How to know the Indian Waders.

The Snipes have a very long bill, and large eyes set far
back ; there is no trace in them of webs between the toes.

The Oyster-catcher and its allies (Haematopodinae) have
pied plumage and long bills.

The rest, including Curlews, Godicits and Sandpipers,
(Totaninae) have usually a drab, dun, grey or reddish
plumage, never pied ; the bill is always longer proportion-
ately than a pigeon's, and sometimes very long. It is
rarely exactly like a snipe's, and the only bird that has it
so has the toes webbed at the base.

It seems best to take easily-recognizable though com-
paratively scarce types first, and then get on to the com-
moner and more confusing species.

So I will begin with one of the rarest of all.

The !bis=BiH.

Ibidorhynchus struthersi, BLANFOUD, Faun. Brit,
Ind., Birds, Vol. IV, p. 249.

This peculiar creature stands quite by itself, and its
relationships are doubtful. It is rather bigger than a
pigeon, with long thin bill curved downwards and stout
legs of medium length with three toes only, the bill being
red and the legs reddish.

The plumage, alike in both sexes, is mainly uniform grey
above and white below the neck, with a black mask, black
band across the breast, and brown pinion-quills white at
the base. The young have no black on head and breast.

The length is sixteen inches, with the closed wing just
over nine, bill about three and shank about two.

This is a Central Asiatic bird, also found at high eleva-
tions in the Himalayas, haunting stream-beds. It has also
been found, but lower, in the Naga hills. It breeds in the