AVOCETS. 367 



parties on the margins of fresh-water lakes, pools, and rivers, and rarely if ever 

 appear on the sea-shore, but prefer the interior of the countries which they 

 visit during their periodical migrations. They fly gracefully and with rapidit)'. 

 making occasional circuitous sweeps during their flight. While on the ground, 

 they are recognizable by their habit of continually moving their tails up and 

 down, and they run with very great speed. Their food consists of small 

 molluscous animals, insects, worms, and the fry of fishes : the former of these 

 they seek for among the grass and rushes. Their nest is placed under a tuft 

 of grass or sedge, growing at the side of the river or lake that they frequent, 

 and to receive their eggs they usually scrape a shallow hole in the ground, 

 which is lined with dry grass and other vegetable materials. Their eggs are 

 four or five in number; and if the female is disturbed while sitting, she flies 

 quietly oft" to some distance, and then utters a cry of fear, and either counter- 

 feits lameness or flutters along the ground as if hurt, to divert the attention 

 of the intruder from her home. The young are covered with down when first 

 hatched ; if discovered before they are capable of flight, they readily plunge 

 into the water, and swim or even dive with facility. 



Snb-Faviily III. 



THE AVOCETS. RECURVIROSTRIN.^. 



General Characteristics. — Bill lengthened and slender, with the sides grooved to 

 the middle, and compressed towards the tip, which is acute ; the nostrils linear and 

 membranous ; the wings long and pointed ; the tail rather short and rounded ; the 

 tarsi long, slender, and covered in front with reticulated scales ; the tibia long and 

 denuded of feathers for some distance above the knee; the toes moderate, some- 

 times free and sometimes entirely united by a web to the ends of the toes, the hind 

 toe extremely short or wanting ; the claws short. 



These birds are found in most parts of the globe ; they frequent 

 swampy places on the margins of rivers, or in salt marshes, where 

 they are usually seen in pools of shallow water, fluttering their 

 wings, and shaking their half-bent legs, which causes them to 

 appear as if they would tumble over, while at the same time they 

 utter a sharp note like the syllable click, often repeated. Some- 

 times they may be noticed collected in small parties on open 

 downs thinly covered with grasses and other kinds of vegetation, 

 running very gently, when, if alarmed, they frequently fly ofl" in a 

 straight line and very close to the ground. Their mode of feeding 

 is by scooping, or, as it seems, beating the soft ground with their 

 flat and upturned bill; and when thus engaged, they are frequently 

 seen wading up to their breast in the pools left by the receding 

 tide. They never swim voluntarily, although furnished with feet 



