Ontitholuyy of Cyprus. 419 



(1787) lie shot on the beach near Armidia (Orniidhia, not lar 

 from Larnaca) a bird of this species. This is the only record 

 of the Oyster-catcher in Cyprus with which I am acquainted. 

 The species has been included hitherto by the other writers 

 solely on account of its mention in Unger and Kotschy's 

 list, doubtless copied from Sibthorp. The origin of the 

 record is as given above. 



1046. Recurvi rostra avocetta Linn. 



The Avocet is another pleasing addition to the Cypriote 

 list. A pair were seen at Larnaca salt-lake at the end of 

 December 1909, and a male bird captured was kindly sent 

 to me alive by Mr. W. J. Ansell, I.S.O. 



1047. Himantopus CANDIDUS Bonnat. 



The Black-winged Stilt was another species included by 

 Sibthorp in his list. Lord Lilford found it common in May 

 about the freshwater marshes, and Guillemard met with it 

 in some numbers near Larnaca in early April, 1887, and 

 near Famagusta at the end of May, 1888. 



It seems to have been accidentally omitted by Madarasz 

 from his paper, ' Ueber die Vogel Cyperns.' 



The Black-winged Stilt is a regular visitor on the spring 

 and autumn migrations, and would no doubt nest in the 

 island every summer if conditions were suitable. Mr. Nicolls 

 informs me that since 1904 he has seen these birds every 

 spring at the Acheritou reservoir, sometimes in fair numbers, 

 i. e. ten or a dozen pairs. Once or twice — notably in 1905 — 

 when the water was maintained at a height which exposed 

 several small islets, they bred in company with a few pairs 

 of the Common and Lesser Terns and of the Spur- winged 

 Plover. In May 1905, Mr. Nicolls collected there a number 

 of eggs, two of which are now in the possession of the Cyprus 

 Natural History Society. In the spring of 1909 Horsbrugh 

 found the Stilt in plenty at Acheritou, from the 23rd of 

 March till the 5th of April, and obtained a good series. There 

 were probably thirty pairs, but they were seen in flocks of 

 from six to twenty or thirty individuals : they did not nest, 

 as the water was practically all drained off by early May. 



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