SCOLOPACID.'E. 



465 



SUB-FAMILY III. 



RECrRVTROSTRINyE. TJlf AvoceLs, 



Gex. Chakac— Bill lengthciu'd and slender, with the sides grooved tn the 

 middle, and compressed towards the tip, which is acute ; the nostrils linear 

 and membranous ; the wings long and pointed ; the tail rather short and 

 rounded ; the tarsi long, slender, and covered in front with reticulated 

 scales ; the tibia long and denuded of feathers for some distance above the 

 knee ; the toes moderate, sometimes free and sometimes entirely united l)y 

 a web to the ends of the toes, the hind toe extremely short or wanting ; tlic 

 claws short. 



Fig. 184. — the scooping avocet. 



(Becurvivoiftra Acoatta.) 



These birds are found in most parts of tlie globe ; 

 they frequent swampy places on the margins of 

 rivers, or in salt marshes, where they are usually 

 seen in pools of shallow water, fluttering their wings, 

 and shaking their half-bent legs, which causes them 

 to appear as if they would tumble over, while at the 

 same time they utter a sharp note, like the syllable 



