Tin: .1 





TllK COMMON - VSLHI-U:, "i -TMMI i: N ti'K, is a wll-knnwn visitor to northern Europe, 

 and ha.s d.-riv.-d its n;iui.- <.f Siinnn. i -ai]-- from its )i:il>it >f remaining there only < luring the 

 summer month*, arming alxmt April i.r ' . l.-a\ in^- h. : 



Tin: SMI i SVM.I-II i i; / mftalma himantoptu) l a native American bird. It i* n.t 

 ohs,.rv.-d \\.-st (1 f tli.' U,M-k\ Mountains, and \a nitli.-r run- in tin- I to*. In th.- U'.-st 



Indi.-s ( .-iiir.il Am.Tica, and the most of South Am.-Hca it occurs. It hreeds in lii K 'h l:ititu.|a, 

 iiiidiswcasioiially tak.-n in ,-lan.l .liirimr th- iniirnitin^ S-.IM.II. 



C.Mi.'s s;,ys of it : -Th: i-.-ni:irk:ilili- San<l|ii|-i . . nin. tint; tliis ^mnp with 



the true snii>ea by m.-ans ,,f .}facrorhamphwt, with which its ivlatiniships . Us 



patt.-rn of .-oloration and changes of plumage are much an in M. Th.- hill is M1 iit.- 



anil*- lik.-, though short- 1 : th.- legs are very long, relatively exceeding those of M<i'-iuif,,im- 



p/tu*, and there ure two basal 



M.-li.stoth.-t.M-s.; 



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THK Avoctrr is one of the 

 most n Mi:uknhl iiiiioiiL,' Kuro- 

 ])in hinls, and is.-a.sily nn-ojfniz- 

 able by its long, rurioiiHly-rnr\-l 

 beak, and its boldly pied plum 

 age. 



The Avocet is not a common 

 hinl in northern countries of 

 Kiiro|-. :in.l in now but seldom 

 seen, though in former days it 

 used to lw tolerahly pl.-ntiful on 

 the sea-coasts and in marshy 

 Innds. The. long and lllj - 

 cun - ed beiil^ is v'iy slender :md 

 pointed, and from its peculiar 

 shape has earned for its owner 

 the name of Cobbler's Awl Bird. 

 While obtaining its food the 

 Avocet scoops the mud with it* 

 beak, leaving sundry unmistak- 

 able marks behind ; and i.s culled 

 in some countries the Scooper. 

 The food of the Avocet consists 

 almost wholly of worms, insects, 

 and littl> crustaceans; and while 

 the bird is engaged in the search 

 after these creatures it paddles 

 over the oozy mud with ita 



webbed feet and traverses the soft surface with mnch ease and some celerity. The cry of the 

 ocet is a sharp, shrill kind of yelp, and is uttered whenever the bird is alarmed. The 



flight is strong and rapid. 



The nest of the Avocet is placed on the ground in some convenient hollow, and the eggs 



are yellowish -hrown with hlack marks. The mother will feign lameness when observed, like 



the preceding species. 



The greater part of the plumage of this hird is pure white, but the top of the head, the 



hack <>f th" m-ck. thn scapularies, leaser wing-coverts, and the primaries are j'-tty hlack. It is 



a rath.-r larp* hird, measuring about .-iirht.-.-n inches in total lenirth. The beak is extremely 



thin, and has been well compared by Yan.-ll t<> " twu thin pieces of whalebone coming to a 



point and curving upwards." 

 v. o-n. 



AV 



