240 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF 



of the Black Sea. Eastwards it breeds in Palestine, 

 Persia, Northern Turkestan, South-western Siberia, 

 South-eastern Mongolia, and Southern Dauria. South 

 of the Mediterranean it is said to breed in all suitable 

 localities throughout Continental Africa, and probably 

 in Madagascar. 



Breeding habits : To Europe and to the more 

 northern breeding grounds in Asia the Avocet is only 

 a summer visitor, arriving from its winter quarters in 

 April or May. At all seasons it is gregarious, and 

 breeds in colonies of varying size. It probably pairs 

 for life, as every season the same nesting places appear 

 to be visited. The favourite haunts of the Avocet in 

 summer are low sandy coasts, salt marshes, lagoons, and 

 mud islands. The nests are either placed on the bare 

 sand or mud, or amongst the short herbage of marshes, 

 and are mere hollows lined with a few bits of dry grass 

 or dead leaves. The Avocet is not a close sitter, leaving 

 its eggs at the first sign of danger, and flying to and fro 

 above the colony ; it is ever ready, however, to try and 

 drive off any intruding bird which might possibly have 

 evil designs upon its eggs. 



Range of egg colouration and measurement: 

 The eggs of the Avocet are generally three or four in 

 number, but five or even six have been found in very 

 exceptional cases. They are pyriform, smooth in texture, 

 and pale buff in ground colour, spotted and blotched with 

 blackish-brown, and with underlying markings of gray. 

 Generally the eggs of the Avocet are covered on the large 

 end with irregular and often confluent blotches, but a 

 type occurs in which the spots are smaller and distributed 

 over most of the surface. Average measurement, r95 

 inch in length, by 1*4 inch in breadth. Incubation, per- 

 formed by both sexes, lasts, accordmg to Naumann, 

 seventeen to eighteen days. 



