FAMILY XXIII. 



HYGROBAT&, ILLIGER. 



GENUS "LVIII. RECURVIROSTRA, LINN^US. 



243. RECURVIROSTRA AMERICANA, LINNJEUS AND WILSON. 



AMERICAN AVOSET. 

 WILSON, PLATE LXIII. FIG. II. EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. 



THIS species, from its perpetual clamour and flippancy 

 of tongue, is called, by the inhabitants of Cape May, the 

 lawyer ; the comparison, however, reaches no farther ; 

 for our lawyer is simple, timid, and perfectly inoffensive. 



In the description of the long legged avoset, the 

 similarity between that and the present is taken notice 

 of. This resemblance extends to every thing but their 

 colour. I found both these birds associated together 

 on the salt marshes of New Jersey, on the 20th of 

 May. They were then breeding. Individuals of the 

 present species were few in respect to the other. They 

 flew around the shallow pools exactly in the manner 

 of the long le^s, uttering the like sharp note of click, 

 click, click, alighting on the marsh or in the water 

 indiscriminately,, fluttering their loose wings, and 

 shaking their half bent legs, as if ready to tumble over, 

 keeping up a continual yelping note. They were, 

 however, rather more shy, and kept at a greater distance. 

 One which I wounded attempted repeatedly to dive ; 

 but the water was too shallow to permit them to do 

 this with facility. The nest was built among the thick 

 tufts of grass, at a small distance from one of these 

 pools. It was composed of small twigs of a sea side 

 shrub, dry grass, sea weed, &c. raised to the height of 

 several inches. The eggs were four, of a dull olive 

 colour, marked with large irregular blotches of black, 

 and with others of a fainter tint. 



This species arrives on the coast of Cape May late in 

 April; rears its young, and departs again to the south 

 early in October. While here, it almost constantly 



