THE AMERICAN AVOCET. 



347 



of England, but seldom visits Scotland. It frequents marshes and 

 the mouths of rivers, where it finds in the 

 mud myriads of the small worms and insects 

 on which it feeds, and which it obtains by 

 cooping them up from the mud with its 

 curiously curved bill. It is a good swimmer, 

 but seldom has recourse to that art except 

 when it wades unexpectedly out of its depth. 

 The egcrs of the Avocet are laid on the 

 ground, in a depression sheltered by a tuft 

 of herbage Their color is a bluish green, 

 spotted with black. The birds when disturbed at their nests feign 

 lameness, like the Lapwing, in order to draw the intruder to a di*- 

 tan^e. The length of the bird is eighteen inches. 



THE AMERICAN AVOCET. 



The American Avocet, supposed to winter in tropical America, 

 arrives on the coast 

 of Cape May, in 

 New Jersey, late in 

 April, where it rears 

 its young, and with 

 them again retires 

 to the south, early 

 in October. In the 

 months of spring 

 they were observed 

 by Mr. Say, in the 

 lower part of Mis- 

 souri. They are also 

 known to visit $ova 

 Scotia, though 

 scarcely ever seen ir. 

 the State of Massa- 

 chusetts. Doctor 

 Richardson also 

 found them abun- 

 dant in the Saskat- 

 chewan plains, as far 

 as the 53rd parallel, 

 where they frequent 

 shallow lakes, feeding on insects, and fresh water Crustacea. In New 

 Jersey, they seem to have a predilection for the shallow pools of the 

 salt marshes, wading about often, in search of their prey, which 

 consists of marine worms, small paludinas, turbos. &c., to which, like 

 the European species, they sometimes add, small Fuel, or marine 

 vegetables 



AMERICAN AVOCET. 



