131 
silvery ripples. They pause here and there and whirl about in little 
circles as the black water-beetles do, stirring up the mud with their delicate 
little feet and bringing to the surface a harvest of tid-bits which they seize 
with quick passes of their rapier-like bill. Anon they disperse to repeat 
the pretty performance a little farther on. A flock of Phalaropes so feeding 
forms the brightest, most graceful scene imaginable. It is calumny to call 
their low monosyllabic voice a “grunt”, yet it is the origin of one of their 
local names. 
FAMILY — RECURVIROSTRIDAE. AVOCETS AND STILTS 
General Description. Among the largest of the Shore Birds and recognizable by their 
strikingly contrasted colours and great length of leg and bill. The single species that 
occurs in Canada, the Avocet, is so well characterized and so easily recognized from the 
specific description that nothing more need be Baid here. 
The Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus may have occurred 
occasionally in Manitoba, but the records are too uncertain for unquestion- 
able acceptance. It is almost as large as the Avocet, but even longer in the 
legs. It is pure black and white, the black including all the back and 
extending up the back of the neck over the crown. The bill is very long, 
fine, and straight. It should be looked for near the alkaline pools along the 
southern borders of the Prairie Provinces. 
225. American Avocet. Recuroirostra americava. L, 16-50. A very large and 
striking Shore Bird. Head, neck, and breast, warm vinaceous-pink, lightening to white 
about eyes, base of bill, and at base of hindneck, blending into white on abdomen and 
flanks. Closed wings and centre of back nearly black, separated by broad line of white. 
Rump and tail white. Wing coverts, outer edge of tertiaries, and inner secondaries, broadly 
edged with white, making white bar on wing in flight. Legs very long, and pale plumbeous 
blue. Bill long, very slender, and turned up (Figure 157). AH plumages are practically 
the same. 
Avocet; scale, 
Distinctions. With size, striking coloration, and long, delicate recurved bill, the 
Avocet cannot be mistaken for any other bird. 
Field Marks. Recognizable by size and remarkable coloration at almost any dis- 
tance. 
Nesting. On the ground, near alkali sloughs. 
Distribution. Central North America. Breeding on the prairies from the western 
Manitoba boundary to the mountains, more common in the southern parts and the 
United States. Occasional records for western Manitoba, and two records from southern 
British Columbia. 
This showy and wonderfully graceful bird is characteristic of the 
alkaline lakes and pools of the arid prairies. Seen with its delicately 
blended pink and white coloration, accented by black, on a snowy, alkali- 
encrusted shore, against deep blue water, it makes a sight that lingers long 
in the memory. It is not an uncommon bird in certain localities, but how 
long it will remain so is a matter of some concern to all lovers of the beauti- 
ful. Large and showy birds do not thrive in close proximity to settled 
communities and the scale is turning daily a little more against it, together 
91054— 9J 
