The Avocet 



in colour, speckled with black. The note is a clear " kluit," 

 generally uttered on the wing, and when disturbed these 

 birds are very noisy. Their food consists of small insects 

 and Crustacea, which are captured by a sideways motion of 

 its curiously shaped bill. It almost always feeds in shallow 

 water, and when feeding walks along, slowly moving the bill 

 from side to side on the surface of the mud. It usually 

 flies high, and from its coloration and long neck is not 

 unlike a Sheld-Duck when at a distance, but its clear and 

 loud " kluit, kluit," soon betrays its identity. 



The sexes are alike ; the head and back of the neck, 

 scapulars, median and tertiary wing coverts and some of the 

 primaries black. Kest of the plumage white. Bill black ; 

 legs pale blue. In the young the black portions are 

 brownish. Length 10 in.; bill 3'2 in.; wing 8'5 in. 



THE BLACK-WINGED STILT 



Himantopus candidus, Bonnaterre 



This species is only a very scarce straggler to our shores, 

 generally during the summer months. Its chief breeding 

 grounds are along the shores of the Danube and Black Sea, 

 and in the marismas of Southern Spain, whence it migrates 

 to Africa in winter. 



In the adult the mantle and wings are greenish black ; 

 tail grey ; the rest of the plumage white. Bill black, and 

 the long legs rose pink. Length 13 '6 in.; bill 2*5 in.; 

 wing 9*5 in. ; legs 10 in. 



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