i86 
ALLEN’S naturalist’s LIBRARY. 
black of the head is confined to the crown, not reaching beyond 
the nape ; some specimens, probably young ones, have a good 
deal of brown mixed with the black of the upper-parts. The 
tail is light grey in winter, and becomes pure white in 
summer. 
Nestling.— Ashy-grey, slightly mottled with dusky bars ; on the 
sides of the mantle two incomplete streaks of black ; a black 
streak on the middle of the rump and a black line extending 
along the sides of the body across the base of the tail ; minor 
black markings are seen upon the head and on the wings ; under 
surface of body yellowish-white. 
Range in Great Britain. — The Avocet is now only a rare visitor 
to England, in spring and autumn, but it used to nest in former 
times in many parts of England, especially in the Humber 
district and on the coasts of Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent, and Sussex, 
but it has not been known to breed, according to Mr. Howard 
Saunders, since the year 1824. It has never been more than 
a casual visitor to Scotland, Ireland, or the West of England. 
Range outside tRe British Islands.— Although in many of the 
northern countries of Europe the Avocet has disappeared as a 
breeding bird as it has done in England, there are many places 
where it nests in localities suited to its habits. Thus on the 
shores of the Baltic, the Frisian Islands, and in Holland, the 
eggs may still be found ; as well as on the deltas of the Rhone 
and Guadalquivir. Throughout the countries of the Mediterra- 
nean the bird is resident in suitable districts, becoming more 
abundant in Southern Russia and the Caspian to Central Asia, 
and thence to Dauria and Mongolia. It is also distributed 
from Egypt to Southern Africa, and breeds in many places. In 
winter the Avocet visits China and the Indian Peninsula. 
Habits. — The present species is a very handsome bird, and 
when a company is feeding together, or wheeling in flight, their 
black-and-white plumage renders them very conspicuous. Mr. 
Seebohm says that, on the wing, flocks have a strange appearance, 
looking like a series of black and white stripes. “ Like the 
Stilt,” he writes, “ the Avocet haunts the margins of the water, 
running daintily along the wet shining sands, or exploring the 
black mud-banks in the shallow lakes. It is not particularly 
shy, but, if alarmed, will mount into the air, its long legs 
