172 AMERICAN AVOSET. 
stone. In May 1829, I saw three of these birds at Great Egg Har- 
bour, but found no nests, although those of the Long-legged Avoset 
of WILson were not uncommon. My friend Jonn Bacuman considers 
them as rare in South Carolina, where, however, he has occasionally 
‘seen some on the gravelly shores of the sea islands. 
On the 16th of April 1837, my good friend Captain NaroLeon 
Coste, of the United States Revenue Cutter the Campbell, on board 
of which I then was, shot three individuals of this species on an im- 
mense sand-bar, intersected by pools, about twelve miles from Der- 
niere Island on the Gulf of Mexico, and brought them to me in perfect 
order. They were larger, and perhaps handsomer, than any that I 
have seen; and had been killed out of a flock of five while feeding. 
He saw several large flocks on the same grounds, and assured me 
that the only note they emitted was a single whistle. He also ob- 
served their manner of feeding, which he represented as similar to that 
described above. 
My friend Tuomas NutTa.u says in a note, that he “ found this 
species breeding on the islands of shallow ponds throughout the Rocky 
Mountains about midsummer. ‘They exhibited great fear and clamour 
at the approach of the party, but no nests were found, they being then 
under march.” Dr Ricuarpson states, that it is abundant on the Sas- 
katchewan Plains, where it frequents shallow lakes, and feeds on in- 
sects and small fresh-water crustacea. 
The flight of the American Avoset resembles that of the Himantopus 
nigricollis. Both these birds pass through the air as if bent on remov- 
ing to a great distance, much in the manner of the Tell-tale Godwit, 
or with an easy, rather swift and continued flight, the legs and neck 
fully extended. When plunging towards an intruder, it at times comes 
downwards, and passes by you, with the speed of an arrow from a bow, 
but usually in moving off again, it suffers its legs to hang considerably. 
I have never seen one of them exhibit the bending and tremulous mo- 
tions of the legs spoken of by writers, even when raised suddenly from 
the nest; and I think that I am equally safe in saying, that the bill 
has never been drawn from a fresh specimen, or before it has under- 
gone a curvature, which it does not shew when the bird is alive. The 
notes of this bird resemble the syllable click, sometimes repeated in a 
very hurried manner, especially under alarm. 
