io BRITISH BIRDS 



tacea, molluscs, etc., but never ventures into deep \vater 

 in pursuit of them. It deposits its eggs, two to four in 

 number, among the short grass that grows near its haunts, 

 and the young are able to run about almost directly after 

 being hatched. 



The up-curved bill is about 3 inches long, black in 

 colour and flexible to a certain extent. In this connection 

 Morris has penned a sentence the meaning of which is 

 not quite apparent. It reads as follows: "The bill of the 

 Avocet may therefore be regarded as the extreme model 

 which Nature could trace, or at least preserve. The modern 

 doctrine of 'types' seems to be a legitimate descendant 

 of this nonsense." 



Like the Plovers, the female Avocet will feign lameness 

 in order to draw off an intruder from the vicinity of the 

 nest, which is not very easy to discover on the flat surface 

 of the ground where it is made, for it only consists of a 

 few blades of grass and the colour of the eggs is in 

 harmony with that of their surroundings. In colour, the 

 Avocet is merely black and white, with a small under- 

 study of grey. 



THE BARN OWL. See under Owls. 



THE BAR-TAILED GODWIT. See under Godwits. 



THE BEAN GOOSE. See under Geese. 



THE BEARDED TIT. See under Tits. 



