FAMILY XXIII. 
HYGJR OB A TJE, Illiger. 
GENUS LVIII. — RECURVIROSTRA, Linnjeus. 
243 . RECURFI ROSTRA AMERICANA, LINNiEUS AND WILSON. 
AMERICAN AVOSET. 
WILSON, PLATE LXIII. FIG. II EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. 
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 the description of the long legged avoset, the 
similarity between that and the present is taken notice 
of. This resemblance extends to every thing but their 
colour. I found both these birds associated together 
on the salt marshes of New Jersejr, on the 20th 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 
indiscriminately,, 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 repeatedly to dive ; 
but the water was too shallow to permit them 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 composed 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. 
This species arrives on the coast of Cape May late in 
April; rears its young, and departs again to the south 
early in October. While here, it almost constantly 
