The A voce t 
351 
raise up their body and neck, emit each two or three notes, and remain 
several minutes on the alert, after which they would fly to their nests, 
and then return. They search for food precisely in the manner oi the 
Roseate Spoonbill, moving their heads to and fro sideways, while their 
bill is passing through the soft mud; and in many instances, when the 
water was deeper, they would immerse their whole head and a portion of 
NEST AND EGGS OF AN AVOCET 
Photographed by H. T. Bohlman 
the neck, as the Spoonbill and Red-breasted Snipe are wont to do. When, 
on the contrary, they pursued aquatic insects, such as swim on the sur- 
face, they ran after them, and, on getting up to them, suddenly seized 
them by thrusting the lower mandible beneath them, while the other was 
raised a good way above the surface, much in the manner of the Black 
Shear-water [Black Skimmer], which, however, performs this act on the 
wing. They were also expert at catching flying insects, after which they 
ran with partially expanded wings. 
‘T watched them as they were thus engaged about an hour, when they 
all flew to the islets where the females were, emitting 
louder notes than usual. The different pairs seemed Feeding 
to congratulate each other, using various curious 
gestures ; and presently those which had been sitting left the task to their 
mates and betook themselves to the water, when they washed, shook 
their wings and tail, as if either heated, or tormented by insects, and 
then proceeded to search for food in the manner above described. Now, 
reader, wait a few moments until I eat my humble breakfast.” 
It is worth noting that the Avocets described by Audubon had their 
summer home in Indiana. In the early part of the nineteenth century 
the species was more or less common along the Atlantic Coast. Alex- 
