GRALLATORES. 181 



knew there was another pond, and upon walking 

 there again disturbed the bird, and obtained a good 

 view of it. There had been a heavy fall of rain in 

 the morning, and the footprints and borings of the 

 bird were plainly visible on the mud around the pond. 



The Greenshank is a very wary bird, and diffi- 

 cult to approach except under cover ; but I have 

 sometimes put one up within shot from a salt-marsh, 

 where the herbage was pretty tall and thick. On 

 one occasion, under shelter of a sea-wall, I was 

 enabled to get pretty close to three Greenshanks 

 that were feeding on a mud- flat. A peculiarity 

 which I remarked in their manner of feeding was, 

 that they placed the bill upon the surface, the under 

 mandible almost parallel with the mud, and as they 

 advanced, scooped from side to side, after the fashion 

 of the Avocet, leaving a curious zigzag line im- 

 pressed upon the mud. The food consists of small 

 mollusks and beetles. 



AVOCET, Recurvirostra avocetta. Its graceful 

 form and beauty of colour, black and white, with 

 long blue legs, render this bird one of the most 

 attractive of our waders. Fifty years ago it was 

 not uncommonly met with in our fens as a summer 

 visitant, and specimens might occasionally be seen 

 hanging up for sale in the London markets. 



The extensive drainage of marsh land, and culti- 

 vation of wastes where it used to breed, together 

 with a great increase in the number of gunners, 



R 



