388 Mr. W. C. Tait on the Birds of Portuc/aL 



223. Recurvirostra avocetta. '' Fracle," Setubal; "Al- 

 faile/^ " Lovella/' Coimbra Museum. 



The Avocet is rare in the north of Portugal, but appears 

 to be tolerably common in the south. A friend of mine shot 

 one on a mud-bank near Ovar on December 4th. In the 

 Lisbon Museum there are two specimens from the Ribatejo. 

 On the 11th April, 1884, Dr. Hans Gadow and I fired simul- 

 taneously at a small flock settled on a sand-bank at the 

 entrance to Faro harbour and bagged four specimens. I am 

 told that they are common near Setubal. 



224. HiMANTOPUs cANDiDUs, Bonuat. '' Garrancho,^' 

 Granjo, Esmoriz; " Esparella,^' Esmoriz; '' Milhereu,'^ 

 Murtoza ; " Trebilongo,^' Aveiro. 



I have seen the Stilt Plover occasionally on the sand-banks 

 of the river Douro in front of Campanhji, near Oporto, and 

 I have shot a few at Esmoriz, in the month of May, on the 

 sides of the lagoon, where I have seen them also in June. A 

 man at Aveiro told me that he had found a nest with young 

 there, but that they are not common. The bird is known 

 also at Murtoza. In the Lisbon Museum are specimens 

 obtained from the Ribatejo and Mafra. This is probably 

 only a summer visitant, as I have never seen it in winter. 

 At Esmoriz they were rather plentiful and were very noisy 

 when they rose. In flying they stretch back their long 

 slender legs, and at a distance look as if they were drag- 

 ging straws behind them. 



225. Phalaropus fulicarius, Linn. 



A few Grey Phalaropes appear every year on our coast, 

 usually from September to November. 



226. ScoLOPAx RusTicuLA, Linn. " Gallinhola.''' 

 Common, and in some specially suitable localities even 



plentiful, more so formerly than now. They usually arrive 

 from the north at the end of October or beginning of No- 

 vember, and I suspect that they travel in small flocks, as it 

 sometimes happens that about that time four or more Wood- 

 cocks are flushed from a small copse. I have seen neat round 

 holes made in the comparatively hard clay of the pine-woods 



