Page:Bird-lore Vol 08.djvu/234

 1 86 Bird -Lore Among the Plover, one of the rarest and most interesting is the Wry- bill {Anaryncbus frontalis), which possesses the distinction of being the only- bird in the world that has its bill bent laterally. It is of about the same size as, or slightly larger than, the Spotted Sandpiper of North America. The upper parts of its plumage are of a slaty gray color, while the under parts are white, with a black band across the breast. This coloration harmonizes perfectly with the shingle and sand of the river-beds where the bird breeds, and it is apparently well aware of this, for I have never yet seen it on those parts of THE RAKAIA RIVER BELOW THE GORGE Mt. Hutt, in the center, has an elevation of 7,2.00 feet. Note the 'Shingle' beds in the river the river-bed which are covered with a moss-like vegetation. Standing still among the stones, the Wry-bill will watch you walk by. He does not squat down, nor evince fear, knowing that his color will almost surely protect him. Even when he knows he is discovered he is not greatly frightened, merely contenting himself with running a few yards and then standing still to watch you again, his bright, beady eyes never leaving you, while every now and then he gives a queer little hiccough. He does not readily fly when disturbed, but runs rapidly away among the stones, resorting to flight only if actually pursued. Yet he is swift and strong on the wing, flying low down over the river-bed in long, sweeping curves. About half-way through August, the Wry-bills return from the seacoast of the North Island to their breeding-grounds. For four years I looked every season without success for one of their nests. I tramped the bed of