GENUS 85. RECURVIROSTRA. AVOSET. 
SPECIES 1. E. AMERICANJi. 
AMERICAN AVOSET. 
[Plate LXIIL— Fig. 2.] 
Arct. Zool. JVb. 421. — Lath. Syn. v. in, p. 295, JVo. 2. — Peale’s 
Museum, i/Vo. 4250. 
This species, from its perpetual clamour, and flippancy of 
tongue, is called by the inhabitants of Cape May, the Lawyer; 
the comparison, however, reaches no farther: for our Lawyer is 
simple, timid, and perfectly inoffensive. 
In describing the Long-legged Avoset of this volume, the 
similarity between that and the present was taken notice of. 
This resemblance extends to every thing hut their colour. I 
found both these birds associated together in the salt marshes 
of New Jersey, on the twentieth of May. They were then 
breeding. Individuals of the present species were few in respect 
to the other. They flew around the shallow pools, exactly in 
the manner of the Long-legs, uttering the like sharp note of 
click click click, alighting on the marsh, or in the water, in- 
discriminately, fluttering their loose wings, and shaking their 
half-bent legs, as if ready to tumble over, keeping up a continual 
yelping note. They were, however, rather more shy, and kept 
at a greater distance. One which I wounded, attempted repeat- 
edly to dive; but the water was too shallow to permit him to do 
this with facility. The nest was built among the thick tufts of 
grass, at a small distance from one of these pools. It was com- 
posed of small twigs, of a sea-side shrub, dry grass, sea weed, 
&c., raised to the height of several inches. The eggs were four, 
of a dull olive colour, marked with large irregular blotches of 
black, and with others of a fainter tint 
