706 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



899. Recurvirostra avjcetta, Linn^us. 



Jerdon, Cat. 347— Blyth, Cat. 1575— Gould, Birds of 

 Europe, pi. 368 — Kusya chaha, in Behar. 



The Avoset. 



Descr. — Crown of the head, nape, most of the hind neck, 

 scapulars, lesser wing-coverts, and primary quills, deep black ; all 

 the rest of the plumage pure white. 



Bill black ; irides red brown ; legs pale bluish-gray. Length 

 18 inches ; wing 8^ ; tail 3 ; bill at front 3^ ; tarsus 3|. 



The Avoset is not a very common bird in India, but is met 

 with occasionally throughout the whole country, frequenting the 

 edges of tanks and rivers, generally in small flocks. It feeds 

 both on the muddy edges of tanks, ajid in the water, chiefly on 

 small worms, young molluscs, and the larvaa of water insects. A 

 writer in the Bengal Sporting Magazine states that, " their feeding 

 ground may be traced out from the semi-circular mark made in 

 the mud by their bills when scooping for their food." Pallas states 

 that it chiefly frequents the salt lakes in Central Asia, extracting 

 small worms, insects, and saline Crustacea from the salt soil. 

 Like the bird last described it is stated to be able to swim well. 

 One which was kept in confinement is recorded to have scooped up 

 the fry of fish very readily. 



Other species of Avoset are R. orientalis, Cuvier, {leiicocephala, 

 Vieill.), and i?. rubricollis, Temminck, from Australia ; and H. 

 americana, and H. occidentalism from America. 



Tribe Latitores. 



Syn. — Macrodactyli, Cuvier, Alectorides, Bonap. 



Feet very large ; anterior toes usually free to the base, edged by 

 a web in a few ; hind toe large ; beak usually short or moderate, 

 stout, compressed; wings short or moderate, generally armed with 

 spurs or tubercles near the flexure ; tail generally short. 



The Latitores or Skulkers, as Blyth named them, include the 

 Rails, Water-hens, Coots, and Jacanas. This tribe comprises a 

 number of small or moderate sized birds, whose stout legs and 

 long feet enable them to walk easily on soft and marshy ground, 

 or even on aquatic plants. They run swiftly, but fly badly, and 



