The Avocet 



351 



raise up their body and neck, emit each two or three notes, and remain 

 several minutes on the alert, after which they would fly to their nests, 

 and then return. They search for food precisely in the manner of the 

 Roseate Spoonbill, moving- their heads to and fro sideways, while their 

 bill is passing through the soft mud; and in many instances, when the 

 water was deeper, they would immerse their whole head and a portion of 



NEST AND EGGS OF AN AVOCET 



Photographed by H. T. Bohlman 



the neck, as the Spoonbill and Red-breasted Snipe are wont to do. When, 

 on the contrary, they pursued aquatic insects, such as swim on the sur- 

 face, they ran after them, and, on getting up to them, suddenly seized 

 them by thrusting the lower mandible beneath them, while the other was 

 raised a good way above the surface, much in the manner of the Black 

 Shear-water [Black Skimmer], which, however, performs this act on the 

 wing. They were also expert at catching flying insects, after which they 

 ran with partially expanded wings. 



"I watched them as they were thus engaged about an hour, when they 

 all flew to the islets where the females were, emitting 

 louder notes than usual. The different pairs seemed Feeding 



to congratulate each other, using various curious 

 gestures ; and presently those which had been sitting left the task to their 

 mates and betook themselves to the water, when they washed, shook 

 their wings and tail, as if either heated, or tormented by insects, and 

 then proceeded to search for food in the manner above described. Now, 

 reader, wait a few moments until I eat my humble breakfast." 



It is worth noting that the Avocets described by Audubon had their 

 summer home in Indiana. In the early part of the nineteenth century 

 the species was more or less common along the Atlantic Coast. Alex- 



