STILT

any of certain species of shorebirds belonging to the family Recurvirostridae (order Charadriiformes), characterized by long thin legs and a long slender bill. Stilts are about 35 to 45 centimetres (14 to 18 inches) in length. They live in warm regions, around ponds, where they probe in mud and weedy shallows for crustaceans and other small aquatic animals. The common stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is variably black and white with pink legs and red eyes. Among its races are the black-winged stilt (H. h. himantopus), of the Old World, and the black-necked stilt (H. h. mexicanus), of the New World; and very dark birds occur in New Zealand. The banded, or red-breasted, stilt (Cladorhynchus leucocephala), of Australia, is white with brown wings, reddish breast band, and yellowish legs. one of a pair of poles with footrests, used for walking. Stilts were originally designed for use in crossing rivers and marshes. As a means of amusement, they have been used by all peoples of all ages, as well as by the inhabitants of marshy or flooded districts. The city of Namur, in Belgium, which formerly suffered from the overflowing of the Sambre and Meuse rivers, has been celebrated for its stilt walkers for many centuries. Not only the townspeople but also the soldiers used stilts. The Governor of Namur, having promised the archduke Albert (about 1600) a company of soldiers that should neither ride nor walk, sent a detachment on stilts, which so pleased the Archduke that he conferred upon the city perpetual exemption from the beer taxno small privilege. Stilts used by children are usually long, the upper half being held under the arms. They are not strapped to the leg.