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ORDER III. WEBFOOTED. 



Almoft all the birds of this order have fliort legs, placed confiderably backwards, which 

 gives them an awkward waddling gait when walking ; the avofet, however, has fome 

 affinity to the cloven-footed water-fowl, in the length of its legs, which are naked above 

 the knees. Their make is ftrong : they lay their eggs on the ground, or on the (helves of 

 lofty cliffs; and none of them perch on trees, except the corvorant, fhag, and one 

 or two fpecies of ducks. 



GENUS I. AVOSET. 



Bill, long, flender, very thin, deprefied, and bending upwards. 



Nostrils, narrow and pervious. 



Tongue, fhort. 



Legs, long ; back toe, very fmall ; webs, deeply femilunated between the toes. 



SPECIES I. SCOOPING AVOSET. 

 PI. 203. 



Recurviroftra avofetta. Lin. Syji. I. p. 256. 

 L'Avocette. Brif, Orn. VI. p. 538. 



This bird is larger than the lapwing, weighing twelve ounces. The bill is near four 

 inches long, of a dark lead-colour, and turned upwards in a fingular manner, whence fome 

 call the bird the cobbler's awl : the eyes hazel : the head is black, which colour finiflies in 

 a point a little way down the neck : the neck, breaft, and belly, are white : the outer- 

 moft quill feathers, part black, part white, as are the fecondaries, and wing coverts, form- 

 ing an oblique white band : a black ftripe ftretches from the moulder to the rump ; the 

 reft of the back, as well as the tail, is white : the legs are light blue, and bare almoft up 

 to the body : the webs dark blue. Moft authors, who have delineated this bird, have 

 given too great a curvature to the bill. 



The avofet is frequently feen in the winter on the fliores of this kingdom, and is met 

 with all the year near Feverfham. When difturbed it flies with a flirill cry of twit 

 twit. It feeds on worms and infects, which it fcoops out of the fand, fo that its courfe 

 may frequently be traced by the alternate femicircular marks it makes. It lays two eggs 

 of a greenifli hue, fpotted with black: fee PI. XLIII. Fig. I. 



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