260 Pictures of Bird Life 



being constantly lieard in the lofty tree-tops. They are 

 seldom seen, howe\'er ; I saw but a passing glimpse of 

 one, and my liost told me that lie had only once seen a 

 nest. They are in\'ariably suspended from the pendent 

 extremity of a topmost branch of a high tree, and in con- 

 sequence are seldom found, and can only be reached by 

 cutting off tlie brand i. 



The Icterine AX'arbler is another species which nests in 

 the garden and grounds, but I liave never seen it. 



Desirous of seeing some of tlie rarer waders, particidarly 

 Avocets, a journey was made to a more northern locality, 

 where they still may be found. Tliough late in the season, 

 several Avocets' nests were seen still with eggs. The nests 

 were on the caked mud of a dried-up creek, and consisted of 

 a few stalks such as are usually to be found in a Lapwing's 

 nest, and each nest contained four eggs. These beautiful 

 and unique birds are perliaps the most gi'aceful and elegant 

 of all the waders, and have always excited the utmost admira- 

 tion wlierever I have met with them, whether on the sandy 

 creeks of the Zuyder Zee, or on tlie mud-flats of the tawny 

 Guadalquivir and the marismas below Seville, or the fjords 

 and marshes of AVest Jutland. AVhether daintily tripping 

 over dry mud or the shining surface of tidal ooze, wading in 

 shallow pools, swimming, or flying, all their actions are full 

 of grace and beauty, and by moving quietly they are fairly 

 easy to approach. In fact, we were able, on the Guadal- 

 quivir, to run close enough to them in the electric launch 

 to have touched them with a boat-hook as they ran about 



