THE CRANE KIND. 



567 



year the bird acquires all its beauty; the plu- 

 mage of the whole body is scarlet, except 

 some of the feathers in the wings, that still re- 

 tain their sable hue. Of these beautiful plumes 

 the savages make various ornaments ; and 



the bird is sometimes skinned by the Euro- 

 peans, to make muffs. But these have dimin- 

 ished in their price, since we have obtained 

 the art of dying feathers of the brightest 

 scarlet. 



CHAPTER CXX. 



OF THE AVOSETTA, OR SCOOPER; AND THE CORRIRA, OR RUNNER. 



THE extraordinary shape of the Avosetla's 

 bill might incline us to wish for its history ; 

 and yet in that we are not able to indulge the 

 reader. Natural historians have hitherto, like 

 ambitious monarchs, shown a greater fond- 

 ness for extending their dominions, than culti- 

 vating what they possess. While they have 

 been labouring to add new varieties to their 

 catalogues, they have neglected to study the 

 history of animals already known. 



The avosetta is chiefly found in Italy, and 

 now and then comes over into England. It 

 is about the size of a pigeon, is a pretty upright 

 bird, and has extremely long legs for its size. 

 But the most extraordinary part of its figure, 

 and that by which it may be distinguished 

 from all others of the feathered tribe, is the 

 bill, which turns up like a hook, in an oppo- 

 site direction to that of the hawk or the parrot. 

 This extraordinary bill is black, flat, sharp, 

 and flexible at the end, and about three inches 

 and a half long. From its being bare a long 

 way above the knee, it appears that it lives 



The Avoset breeds in the fens of Lincolnshire, and 

 on Romney marsh in Kent. In winter they assemble in 

 small flocks of six or seven, and frequent our shores, 

 especially the mouths of large muddy rivers, in search of 

 worms and marine insects. These they scoop out of the 

 mud with their recurved bills, which are admirably adapt- 

 ed for that purpose, being tough and flexible like whale- 

 bone. The feet seem calculated for swimming, but they 



and wades in the waters. It has a chirping 

 pert note, as we are told ; but with its other 

 habits we are entirely unacquainted. I have 

 placed it, from its slender figure, among the 

 cranes ; although it is web-footed, like the 

 duck. It is one of those birds of whose his- 

 tory we are yet in expectation." 



To this bird of the crane kind, so little 

 known, I will add another, still less known ; 

 the Corrira, or Runner, of Aldrovandus. All 

 we are told of it is, that it has the longest legs 

 of all web-footed fowls, except the flamin- 

 go and avosetta ; that the bill is straight, yel- 

 low, and black at the ends; that the pupils of 

 the eyes are surrounded with two circles, one 

 of which is bay, and the other white : below, 

 near the belly, it is whitish ; the tail, with two 

 white feathers, black at the extremities : and 

 that the upper part of the body is of the colour 

 of rusty iron. It is thus that we are obliged to 

 substitute dry description for instructive history ; 

 and employ words, to express those shadings of 

 colour which the pencil alone can convey. 



are never observed to take the water : it is therefore pro- 

 bable, that they are furnished with a web merely to pre- 

 vent their sinking into the mud. The female lays two 

 eggs about the size of those of a pigeon, of a white colour 

 tinged with green, and marked with large black spots. 

 It is said to be very tenacious of its young, and when dis- 

 turbed at this season, will fly round in repeated circles, 

 uttering a note that resembles the word twit twice repeated. 



