THE CRANE KIND. 181 



CHAPTER IX. 



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



THE extraordinary shape of the Avosetta's bill might incline us 

 .o 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 fondness 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 his- 

 tory 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 up- 

 right bird, and has extremely long legs for its size. But the most 

 extraordinary part of its figure, and that by which it may be distin- 

 guished from all others of the feathered tribe, is the bill, which turns 

 up like a hook, in an opposite 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 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 history 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 the web-footed fowls, 

 except the flamingo and avosetta ; that the bill is straight, yellow 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 

 "usty iron. It is thus that we are obliged to substitute dry descrip- 

 tion for instructive history, and employ words, to express those sha 

 ouigs of colour which the pencil alone can convey. 



