The American Avocet 



discovered freezing in the grass. He is an engaging little fellow, as 

 dutiful as Casabianca, and as gentle as Pity's self. Bidden to remain 

 quiet, he will not accept even the rudeness of the discovering hand as an 

 excuse for disregarding the parental inhibition. I have lifted from the 

 ground and placed upon the water a "frozen" chick which suffered itself 

 to be blown about like a fallen rose-leaf rather than betray the slightest 

 sign of life. In defense of such a child it is no marvel that the mother 

 Avocet will do her utmost. The bird in the picture on page 1198 has 

 hurled herself from the sky repeatedly, as though to dash out her brains 

 on those of the baby's captor; but each time she has deftly swerved at the 



crisis, and has gone back 

 to repeat the operation. 

 Yet this same mother, a 

 few moments later, has 

 changed the line of at- 

 tack and is doing off a 

 skirt dance with all the 

 seductiveness of a Pav- 

 lowa. Varium et muta- 

 b He semper femina. An- 

 other actress I cannot 

 forbear to mention, for 

 she (correctly) divined 

 our oological proclivi- 

 ties. Instead of making 

 a great disturbance and 

 so inciting us to the dis- 

 covery of her hidden 

 chick, she retired to a 

 discreet distance and 

 crouched ostentatiously 

 in the incubating posture 

 upon imaginary eggs — 

 sat there motionless, too, 

 for a considerable stretch 

 of time, thus truly simu- 

 lating nature instead of 

 over-acting, and "teeter- 

 ing," as both the Kill- 

 deer and the Oyster- 



Taken near Los Banos Photo by the Author Catcher are SO DTOne tO 



KEEN TO BE OFF , . ... . F 



JABY AVOCETS OF THIS SIZE ARE THE MOST WIGGLESOME CREATURES IMAGINABLE ^0 m UKe ClTCUlTlStanCeS. 



1202 



