ICO 
Allen’s naturalist’s library. 
as well as the Burmese provinces and Southern China. It is 
only a straggler to the countries of Northern Europe, as it is 
to Great Britain. 
Habits. — This is one of the most extraordinary of all the 
Plovers, and is remarkable for its long legs. These are carried 
out behind it, when the bird is flying, and from their bright 
colour are very conspicuous. Mr. Seebohm observes ; — 
“There are few sights more interesting to an English ornitho- 
logist than a breeding colony of Stilts. If quietly approached, 
they may be watched standing up to their knees in water, 
catching little tadpoles and water-beetles, picking up floating 
shell-fish, or snapping at the gnats in the air, or the water- 
spiders dancing on the surface of the lagoons. Perhaps it 
looks most elegant as it trips daintily on the yellow ooze, 
which scarcely seems to bend beneath its light weight. Some- 
times two or three may be seen feeding together, walking with 
deliberate, graceful step, which is occasionally quickened 
almost into a run ; but they seldom utter a note. They do 
not seem to be particularly shy, and it is not necessary to 
keep concealed among the reeds, except when you approach 
the nests. Then the habits of the birds change entirely ; all 
idea of feeding is given up, and their whole attention is 
absorbed in the effort to decoy you from the colony ; they are 
alarmed for the safety of their eggs, and in their excitement 
tliey suddenly become noisy birds. As they run along the 
sand, with uplifted wings, they look the perfection of beauty 
and grace, but they soon take wing, and try hard to lead you 
inland to the steppe. Generally two or three fly together, 
looking almost like miniature Storks as they pass over ; the 
neck is outstretched and the bill is slightly depressed, while 
the long red legs, which reach considerably beyond the tail, 
are also extended slightly below the horizontal line. The 
motion of the wings is not very rapid, but the line of flight is 
straight. Now and then the bird skims along for a short 
distance with outspread, motionless wings, and, whilst thus 
slowly sailing along, it has a curious habit of dropping its legs, 
but this action is performed so high in the air that the bird 
can scarcely be making preparations to alight, and may 
perhaps be only trying to attract attention to itself. All this 
time the birds are noisy enough. The Stilt has two cries of 
