CEYLON RAILS, WADERS, GULLS, AND TERNS. 213 
tail white or grayish. Females have the black of the upper 
parts replaced by brown, except on the wing quills. 
Young birds are blackish on the crown and grayer on the 
hind neck. Probably only quite old birds have the head pure 
white. 
Yearling birds are still lighter brown on the back, with pale 
edges to the feathers ; the head and hind neck are gray-brown. 
Bill black ; iris red ; legs and feet lake-red or pinkish-red 
with black claws. 
Length 15; wing 9°25; tail 3°25; tarsus 5-0; bill from 
gape 2°85. 
Distribution —Fairly common in the north of the Island 
and down the east coast as far as Hambantota. Occurs 
throughout India and Burma, extending through Southern 
Europe, all Africa, and Southern Asia. 
Habits —Most of our birds appear to be resident. During 
the wet season they may be seen far inland at the edges of 
tanks in the Northern and North-Central Provinces. They 
breed from April to June in fairly large colonies round certain 
lagoons all down the east coast and by a few tanks, such as 
Minneti and Kanthalai. The nest is the usual depression in 
the ground near the water’s edge ; it is sometimes lined with a 
few rushes, a little grass, or with waterweeds. The eggs, three 
or four in number, are drab or stone-coloured blotched with 
black. They much resemble the eggs of the Red-wattled 
Lapwing. Average size 1-64 by 1°19. 
RECURVIROSTRA AVOCETTA (Blanford, Vol. IV., p. 248 ; 
Legge, p. 925). 
The Avocet. 
Description. —General colour white, with the following parts 
brown in winter and black in summer :—The forehead, crown, 
nape, hind neck, the upper part of the mantle, including the 
shorter scapulars, together with a band on the wing formed 
by the median coverts, the greater part of the primary quills, 
and some of the tertiaries. In the winter the hind neck is 
white, and the tail tinged with brownish-gray. 
Bill black ; iris reddish-brown ; legs and feet bluish-gray. 
