( 1^J4 ) 

 THE AVOCET AT HOME. 



BY 



E. L. TURNER, Hon.M.B.o.u. 



No one can do justice to the charm of the Avocet {Recurvirosfra 

 avosetta) or adequately describe the beauty and grace of 

 its varying attitudes. It is a creature of emotions — easily 

 roused to anger, but on the whole sociable and confiding. 

 As, however, most of my observations were made in a pro- 

 tected area, the subjects of these notes had little cause for fear. 

 Anger is expressed in two ways. If the Avocet when 

 paddling about in the water suspects you of designs upon 

 its nest, it lowers its head and rushes towards you with 

 expanded wings, swaying to and fro, so that first one wing 

 and then the other just touches the water. The bird may then 

 rise and fly straight at you, but, as a rule, it retreats with the 

 same swaying movements, apparently with intent to lure 

 you from the nest. Sometimes it will paddle round almost 

 at your feet, floundering and struggling in the water, feigning 

 injury. The same manoeuvres are carried out on dr}' land, 

 but then the bird puts even more energy into its attempts 

 to distract your attention. 



The Avocet's second method of attack is suddenly to fly 

 at you with tremendous speed, hurling itself through the air, 

 steeply banked with its wings almost vertical and its long legs 

 hanging down, while the head is held lower than the shoulders 

 and the curved bill points aggressively upwards. This steel- 

 blue scimitar would be a dangerous weapon if it were not so 

 slender and flexible. The Avocet's bill always reminds me of 

 Saladin's magic sword — " A curved and narrow blade which 

 glittered not like the swords of the Franks, but was, on the 

 contrary, of a dull blue colour, marked with ten millions of 

 meandering lines which showed how anxiously the metal had 

 been welded by the armourer." This weapon may be useful 

 to the Avocet when fighting with his kind, but he knows that 

 it is useless against the arch-enemy — man. So, at the last 

 moment, when the bird is within a few inches of your head, it 

 sheers off, describes a wide circle, and returns to the attack. 

 This manoeuvre may be repeated several times ; but if such a 

 valiant display of courage fails to move you, the Avocet falls 

 to the ground, spreads itself out flat with extended, quivering 

 wings, and writhes as if in agony. Meanwhile the air is rent 

 with wild cries. 



If an Avocet's anger is directed against another bird, a 



