COMMON AVOSET. 
their thighs naked about one half, their beak long, 
slender, pointed, smooth, and elastic, and their man- 
ner of life similar. Their great peculiarities consist 
of their beak being strongly turned upwards, and in 
having their hinder toe very short. 
They generally frequent brackish water at the 
mouths of large rivers, preferring those places that 
are covered with mud, or are just shallow enough for 
them to wade in : they migrate and live in pairs ; 
their flight is very rapid ; and their food consists 
principally of insects. 
COMMON AVOSET. 
( Recur virostra Avosetta.) 
Re. alba, pileo Jasciisque alarum tribus nigris. 
White Avoset with the top of the head, and three fasciae on the 
wings, black. 
Recurvirostra Avocetta. Linn. Syst. Nat. 1. 256. Gmel. Syst. 
Nat. 1. 693. Raii, Syn. 11 7. A. Briss. Orn. 6. 538. 47. 
f. 2. Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. 786. Temm. man. cl'Orn. 380. 
L'Avocette. Buff. Ois. 8. A&^.pl. 38. Buff. PI. Enl. 353. 
Scooping Avocette. Penn. Brit. Zool. 2. 228. pi. 80. Penn. 
Arct. Zool. 2. 503. P. Alb. Birds, 1. jd. 101. Lath. Gen. 
Syn. 5. 293. Lath. Syn. Sup. 263. Mont. Orn. Diet. 1. 
Avocetta or Avoset. Don. Brit. Birds, pi. 66. Lew. Brit. 
Birds, 6. pi. 202. Wale. Syn. 2. 165. Betu. Brit. Birds, 2. 
158. Leaeh, Zool. Mise. 2. 1 14. Atlc. Compend. 178. 
A HIGHLY elegant species : about eighteen inches 
in length : its entire plumage is of a beautiful pure 
