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  94 
  

  

  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  species 
  of 
  avocets 
  inhabiting 
  the 
  temperate 
  

   regions, 
  only 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  reaches 
  North 
  America. 
  They 
  are 
  well 
  adapted 
  

   to 
  wading 
  and 
  swimming, 
  and 
  when 
  they 
  get 
  beyond 
  their 
  depth 
  in 
  water, 
  

   continue 
  on 
  their 
  course 
  as 
  if 
  nothing 
  had 
  happened, 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  being 
  

   unlike 
  all 
  inembers 
  of 
  the 
  order, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  phalaropes. 
  

  

  Recurvirostra 
  americana 
  Gmelin 
  

  

  American 
  Avocet 
  

  

  Recurvirostra 
  a 
  m 
  e 
  r 
  i 
  c 
  a 
  n 
  a 
  Gmelin. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  1788. 
  Ed. 
  i. 
  2:693 
  

  

  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  266, 
  fig. 
  227, 
  229 
  

   A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  225 
  

  

  recurviro'stra, 
  Lat. 
  recurvus, 
  bent 
  back 
  or 
  upward; 
  rostrum, 
  bill; 
  americd'na, 
  

  

  American 
  

  

  Description. 
  Breeding 
  plmnage: 
  Head 
  and 
  neck 
  pale 
  reddish 
  brown 
  

   or 
  cinnamon 
  fading 
  to 
  white 
  below; 
  back, 
  lesser 
  coverts 
  and 
  primaries 
  

  

  black; 
  rest 
  of 
  plumage 
  white. 
  In 
  

   winter 
  and 
  immature: 
  Similar, 
  

   but 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  white 
  or 
  gray- 
  

   ish 
  white. 
  Bill 
  recurved 
  or 
  bent 
  

   upward, 
  blackish; 
  legs 
  bluish; 
  

   eyes 
  dark. 
  

  

  Length 
  15. 
  5-1 
  8 
  inches; 
  ex- 
  

   tent 
  28-31; 
  wing 
  8.75-10; 
  tail 
  

   S-s; 
  bill 
  3.75; 
  tarsus 
  3.75. 
  

  

  The 
  American 
  avocet, 
  or 
  

   Bluestocking, 
  was 
  formerh' 
  an 
  

   occasional 
  visitor 
  to 
  the 
  shores 
  

   of 
  Long 
  Island 
  and 
  the 
  Great 
  

   Lakes, 
  but 
  now 
  is 
  purely 
  acci- 
  

   dental 
  or 
  entirely 
  absent. 
  The 
  

   last 
  authentic 
  specimens 
  from 
  

   the 
  State 
  were 
  obtained 
  about 
  

   50 
  years 
  ago 
  on 
  Long 
  Island. 
  

   Specimens 
  froin 
  this 
  locality 
  

   without 
  definite 
  data 
  are 
  found 
  

  

  American 
  avocet. 
  Recurvirostra 
  amer 
  icana 
  Gmelin. 
  

   specimen 
  in 
  State 
  Museum. 
  J- 
  nat. 
  size 
  

  

  Fror 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  State 
  Museum, 
  the 
  Ameri- 
  

  

  