THE AVOCET 



Recurvirostra avocetta 



Whole plumage white, excepting the following parts, which 

 are black — top of head and back of neck, a band between the 

 shoulders, inner part of scapulars, wing-coverts, and prim- 

 aries ; beak long and slender, and turned upwards ; legs, 

 slaty -blue -green colour. Total length, 17 inches. 



I have included this bird because it is like the 

 Spoonbill, so singular in the form of its bill, and so 

 interesting to us, because at one time it was fairly 

 common in Great Britain. If it is seen it ought to 

 be easily identified, not only because of its black 

 and white plumage, but also because of the curious 

 sweeping movement it makes with its bill as it 

 searches the water for its prey, something sug- 

 gestive of a mower with a scythe. Captain Shelley 

 says it is met with in large flocks on the Nile, but 

 I have only seen it in very small parties, six being 

 the largest number that I have seen together on the 

 river, but at Lake Menzaleh I have seen hundreds 

 together. Von Heuglin says they are very abund- 

 ant on the shores of the Red Sea, but on the two 

 occasions I was on those shores — the last time at 

 Kosseir — I was not fortunate enough to observe it. 

 On the sandbanks — those that are very low, with 

 wet spots and little pools — it can be seen better 



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