bLACK-yiECKED STJLT. 



185 



Color. Adult. Forehead to eye, line back of eye, lower eyelid, rump, upper tail covert^, tail, and under portions. 

 wliite; under wing coverts and remaining portions, blaok with a purplish lu-^ter. 



Youny. Quite similar to tlie adult but the black markings are not as clear and the tail is tinged with a'^hy. h\< and 

 legs, red, and bill, black, in all stages. 



OBSERVATIONS. 

 Readily known by the nearly straight bill, long legs, and absence of hind toeand prominent toe membiane. Di^^tribu- 

 ted in summer, throughout the United States. Rare on the Eastern coast north <d the Carolina-^, wintering south Lf the 

 United States. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average measurements of specimens from Florida. liCngth, 1465; stretch, 26"0; wing, 87.5; tail, 365; bill, 26(i; 

 tarsus, 4"7"2. Longe-t specimen, IS'OO; greatest extent of wing, SS'oO, longest wing, 9 00; tail. 3'75; bill, a'75; tarsus, 

 4'50. Shortest specimen, 11 25; smallest extent of wing, 2500; shortest wing, 7 5); tail, 250; bill, 2 45; tareus, 3'96. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 

 Eggs, pl.aced on the ground in a slight depression of the soil, three or four in number, rather pyriform in shape, ashy- 

 yellow in color, spotted, blotched, and lined irregularly and quite thickly, but seldom coarsely, with yellowish-brown of 

 varying shades. Dimensions from IMSx 152 to l'25x r76. 



HABITS. 



On the fifteenth of March, the Black-necked Stilts made their first appearance at Salt 

 Lake in Middle Florida. At first there were but one or two pairs, then they came pour- 

 ing in, and soon, whenever I walked over the marshes, their harsh cries resounded on all 

 sides. This was my first acquaintance with the bird and I spent many hours watching 

 their singular movements, until they became perfectly familiar to me, but they always in- 

 terested me and I often found myself observing them, even after I had lived among them 

 for months. 



As may readily be inferred from a glance at the birds, the Black-necked Stilts run 

 very rapidly but in the midst of their career, they will pause suddenly, bend tlieir long legs, 

 and pick up something from the ground, then off again after more food. Their favorite 

 method of feeding, however, was to wade in the shallow pools, often becoming submerged to 

 the body, and I have frequently seen them wading in this manner among flocks of Ducks, 

 consisting of several species. When alarmed while in the water, they will raise their long 

 wings and rise as lightly as if on the land. After they have finislied tlieir mctil, they re- 

 turn to the shore and squat quietly down in groups but each individual faces the wind, es- 

 pecially if it be blowing hard. They are not sliy birds as a rule, allowing one to approach 

 within a few yards, but if the intruder go too near, they will give a. bow or two, as if bal- 

 ancing themselves, then rise with a harsh scream which becomes continuous when they are 

 badly frightened. 



On the marshes of Indian River, there are certain spots, especially near the water, on 

 which vegetation never grows. Early in April, T observed that the Stilts were frequent- 

 ing these places and on the twenty-third, found the birds nesting on thcni, (he eggs being 

 placed on the naked soil in a slight depression. It was (juite easy to find the eggs, as the 

 birds would not start until I was close to them and if I did not at first perceive where one 

 got up, I had only to retreat a short distance, when the unsuspicious bird would quietly 

 walk back to her nest, bend her long legs, and sit down. The note, at this time, was quite 

 different from that given earlier in the season, as they now uttered short syllables sound- 

 ing like puty put, put, repeated rapidly, that of the males being harsh, while the females 



