94 LAKES AND RIVERS. 



swim, as indeed all birds that have close plumage on 

 the under part can do more or less ; but it perhaps 

 does not swim voluntarily in any instance, and it 

 never swims when it is feeding. It is not adapted for 

 that, as the action of both the body and the bill re- 

 quires a fulcrum of something more stable than water. 

 Swimming in still water, the bird could not scoop, as 

 the stroke of the bill would merely drive the body 

 backwards; and as it feeds against the stream, its 

 moving would be like that of a man attempting to 

 force a boat against the stream by placing his pole 

 upwards, and by that means adding his own exertions 

 to the downward force of the current. The avocet 

 wades up the shallow stream, and only that its strokes 

 are equally effective right and left, its action is not 

 unlike that of a mower. Its legs are long and placed 

 far asunder, and it proceeds by long and slow strides. 

 Suppose the foot advanced on one side and planted, 

 and the other foot in the rear to the full extent of its 

 stride, the axis of its body will in that position be 

 across the run, with the head toward the side of the 

 rear foot, and the tail to that of the advanced one, 

 both feet being nearly in the line of the centre of 

 the run ; and if we suppose the left foot to be the 

 one in advance, the bill will be over the right side of 

 the run. The bird then bends its head a little to 

 the neck and downwards, and immediately advancing 

 the right foot, it swings the body upon the left as 

 a pivot, the bill scooping a traverse curve and im- 

 pelled by the swing of the body. As soon as the 

 right foot is planted, or rather contemporaneously 

 with the planting of it, the bird elevates its bill, in 



