STILT FhOWETl.—mmdntopiis cdndidus. 



AVOCET. — Recurvirostra avocetta. 



shrill kind of yelp, aud is uttered whenever the bird is alarmed. The flight is strong 

 and rapid. 



The nest of the Avocet is placed on the ground in some convenient hollow, and the 

 eggs are yellowish brown with black marks. The mother will feign lameness when 

 observed, like the preceding species. 



The greater part of the plumage of this bird is pure white, but the top of the head, the 

 back of the neck, the scapularies, lesser wing-coverts, and the primaries are jetty black. 

 It is a rather large bird, measuring about eighteen inches in total length. The beak is 

 extremely thin, and has been well compared by Yarrell to " two thin pieces of whalebone 

 coming to a point and curving upwards." 



The Stilt Plovee is nearly as conspicuous for its long legs as the Avocet for its 

 curved bill. 



This bird, which really looks if the legs were intended for a body at least twice its 

 size, is sometimes, but very rarely, found in England, and whenever it is found within 

 these islands, generally prefers the swampy or marshy ground. 0^^'ing to the great 

 scarcity of this species, and its speedy fate from powder and shot, very little is known of 

 its habits ; but if we may judge by the Black-necked Stilt of America, it employs its long 

 legs in wading through the water in search of food, and picks up the various aquatic 

 inhabitants which come in its path. 



Wilson remarks of the Black-necked species, that when these birds alight on the 



