820 Pictures of Bird Life 



rushes, laid fiut on the water, so tluit the eggs are lialf 

 awash. Tliese are of a decided green colour, very darkly and 

 richly spotted ; and \ ery pretty they look on their green 

 raft, surrounded by tlie white crowfoot blossoms. Three eggs 

 are laid. The colour fades ^'ery nuicli after tlie eggs liave 

 been blown and kept a sliort time. 



I dissected one male bird, and found in it an entire 

 oTeen caterpillar, two inches long, and tlie remains of another 

 one. The irides of tliis bird were brown, the legs and feet 

 dark red. 



The nests of the Black Terns, whicli were not nearly so 

 numerous as those of the larger species, were much more 

 solidly and substantially made, built up from the bottom, 

 and rising higher above the surface of the water. 



Both the Caspian and Gull-billed Terns are recorded as 

 nesting in Spain, but no nests of either were met with. 



Avocets, though they liad been so numerous on the 

 Guadalquivir, were not met witli at any distance away from 

 its banks, and appear to nest later tlian tlie otlier species. 

 I particularly enjoyed tlie opportunity of renewing acquaint- 

 ance with this charming wader, the most elegant of an 

 elegant family, whose dainty ways, graceful attitudes, and 

 beautiful plumage I had so much admired on my visit to 

 Holland the previous year. 



AVhile feeding on the mud-Hats of the Guadalquivir, we 

 found Avocets veiy tame and easy to approach. In the small 

 electric launch belonging to the yacht we could almost get 

 near enough to touch them with a Ijoat-hook, as they ran 



