342 
LONG-LEGGED AVOSET. 
thickly marked with large blotches of black. These nests are 
often placed within fifteen or twenty yards of each other ; but 
the greatest harmony seems to prevail among the proprietors. 
While the females are sitting, the males are either wading 
through the ponds, or roaming over the adjoining marshes ; 
but should a person make his appearance, the whole collect 
together in the air, flying with their long legs extended behind 
them, keeping up a continual yelping note of click , click , click . 
Their flight is steady, and not in short, sudden jerks, like that 
of the Plover. As they frequently alight on the bare marsh, 
they drop their wings, stand with their legs half bent, and 
trembling, as if unable to sustain the burden of their bodies. 
In this ridiculous posture they will sometimes stand for several 
minutes, uttering a curring sound, while, from the corresponding 
quiverings of their wings and long legs, they seem to balance 
themselves with great difficulty. This singular manoeuvre is, 
no doubt, intended to induce a belief that they may be easily 
caught, and so turn the attention of the person, from the 
pursuit of their nests and young, to themselves. The Red- 
necked Avoset, whom we have introduced in the present 
volume, practises the very same deception, in the same 
ludicrous manner, and both alight indiscriminately on the 
ground or in the water. Both will also occasionally swim for 
a few feet, when they chance, in wading, to lose their depth, 
as I have had several times an opportunity of observing. 
The name by which this bird is known on the sea coast is 
the Stilt, or Tilt, or Long-shanks. They are but sparingly 
dispersed over the marshes, having, as has been already 
observed, their particular favourite spots, while in large inter- 
mediate tracts there are few or none to be found. They 
occasionally visit the shore, wading about in the water and in 
the mud, in search of food, which they scoop up very dexter- 
ously with their delicately formed bills. On being wounded 
while in the water, they attempt to escape by diving, at which 
they are by no means expert. In autumn, their flesh is tender 
and well tasted. They seldom raise more than one brood in 
the season, and depart for the south early in September. As 
