THE AVOCET 97 



color in the wing. Under wing coverts wliite. 

 Eyes and bill black; feet pale orange. 



The female is not so brightly colored, lacking 

 much of the light red, which in her dress is 

 replaced with dark brown. The fall bird of 

 either sex is not so brilliantly attired as is the 

 spring migrant, but even then is a beautiful 

 piece of coloring. The length of this species 

 is between eight and nine inches ; the extent of 

 wing varies from sixteen to eighteen inches. 



Besides the present species the Pacific coast 

 boasts another — the Black-headed Turnstone, 

 closely akin to our bird. The two are chums 

 where their ranges come together, from South- 

 ern California northward. 



THE AVOCET. 



(Recurvirostra americana.) 



This striking and graceful bird, like many of 

 his family, is a lover of the Great West and 

 so is not often taken in New England. It is 

 far less common on the eastern half of our 

 continent than beyond the Rockies and in the 

 northeast is an exceptionally rare visitor. 



In their chosen range they favor the salt 



