THE AMERICAN A\'OCET. 



685 



The waters of a certain lake in eastern ^^'ashington, being relieved in 

 1904 by a new outlet, fell eight feet in a few days, leaving a shallow cove with 

 its ancient bottom of ooze exposed here and there in the form of low mud 

 reefs. There are mazes of cat-tails and bulrushes on one side and low alkaline 

 slopes, acres in extent, upon the other. These conditions, it seems, exactly 

 meet the requirements of these strange birds, and here we found them to 

 the number of a score in May, 1906. 

 Of course the .V\'ocets were not alone 

 upon this favored spot. Yellow-headed 

 Blackbirds gurgled and screeched in the 

 reeds, and ]\Iarsh ^^'rens sputtered and 

 chuckled over their quaint basketry, 

 while mud-hens and ducks of a dozen 

 species, but chiefly Redheads and Rud- 

 dies, paddled in the channels or brooded 

 in the teeming brakes. Once during our 

 stay a regatta of Whistling Swans con- 

 descended at early dawn, but the}' were 

 soon off, upon what high mission we 

 could only guess. There was, indeed, a 

 constantly shifting panorama of life, but 

 the only creatures which cared to dispute 

 with the A\T)cets the possession of the 

 tin_\- mud islands were the turtles and a 

 lazy band of lumbering White Pelicans. 

 One S-shaped reef, in particular, seemed 

 to be the favorite lounging place of the 

 Pelicans, and twenty-five of their com- 

 fortable fat bodies appeared to alioul 

 exhaust the accommodations; yet a pair 

 of A\-ocets managed to live thru the 

 daily inundation and to maintain a nest 

 with four eggs. Forster Terns, also, oc- 

 casionally bent an inquiring eve upon the 

 reefs in passing, but we knew they would 

 not raise proprietary questions till June. 



The Avocets are not rigidly gregarious : they associate freely, howe\-er, 

 upon the nesting ground, and are to be seen in small scattered groups as often 

 as singly. Since the tones of the surroundings are chiefly wrought out in 

 gray-greens, grass-greens, and pale blues, the birds have no recourse to the 

 arts of protective coloration, but appear boldl}- in a garb of black and white, 

 softened on head and neck by cinnamon Ijrown, and this habit serves to keep 



Photo by the Author. 



A-WING. 



