--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Parratt, Delbert W. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 22 number: 12 published: 1919-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Parratt, Delbert W., "Outlines for Scout Workers," *Improvement Era* 22, no. 12 (October 1919): 1069–1072.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera22012unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera22012unse start_page: 1069 end_page: 1072 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1919-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera22012unse publication_year: 1919 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1919, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Outlines for Scout Workers Outlines for Scout Workers By Delbert W. Parratt, B. S., Manager Utah State Fair XXX. The American Avocet Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying: "Here is a story book Thy Father has written for thee." "Come, wander with me," she said, Into regions yet untrod, And read what is yet unread In the manuscripts of God." And he wandered away and away With Nature, the dear old nurse, Who sang to him night and day The rhymes of the universe. And whenever the way seemed long, Or his heart began to fail, She would sing him a more wonderful song, Or tell him a more marvelous tale. —Henry W Longfellow . 1. Give two names for this bird. 2. Where in our country is it found? Where in our valley? When here? 3. Tell of size, color, and marking Distinguish between male and female in these respects. 4. In what sort of habitat is the avocet found? What is there about the bird to indicate this? 1070 IMPROVEMENT ERA 5. Where, when, and of what is the nest made? Give number and color of eggs. 6. Of what does the food consist and how is the bird adapted to pro- cure it? 7. Describe the .avocet's flight. 8. Tell of its "song." 9. Distinguish this bird from all other shore birds. 10. Should it be protected? Give at least two reasons for your answer. I Handy Material "Nature never made anything altogether awkward. Even stilts and chop-sticks are graceful when fashioned in the great workshop. The chop- sticks in this case are delicately curved and skillfully handled, while the stilts support their owner most jauntily at a height of seven or eight inches above the ground. These unique implements belong to a soft-plumaged, dove-eyed creature which the pioneers knew well, but which is now almost extinct within our borders: the American avocet." William L. Dawson. The avocet, on account of his long, blue legs, is often called the blue stocking. He measures from fifteen to twenty inches in length, and is found in considerable numbers along the alkaline lakes in the western parts of our valley. During breeding season his head and neck are of salmon- pink, but at other times they are of beautiful white. At all sea- sons, his under parts and back are white, with the exception of a contrastive dark grayish V-shaped patch running down the in- ner edges of his wings and meeting in the center of his back. Like patches of dark cover most of his wings, while his long outer wing feathers are of striking, glossy black. The male avocet is somewhat larger than the female and his color markings are a little more pronounced; however, these differences are not so great as with most of "the feather friends" of our western country. The long, slender bill is so flexible that it can be twisted around one's finger, and so elastic that it will spring back into normal shape when released. With its slight upward turn, Mr. Avocet is enabled to plow in finding worms, bugs, and the like in soft mud along shallow waters with surprising ease and dex- terity. In this, he does not plow or dabble at random, but fol- lows clues first detected by his keen eyes. Exposed prey is snatched with great agility, and passed down the long bill by a quick advance thrust of the head. Much of the avocet's dabbling is done at considerable depth under water. In this he tips up much after the manner of our river ducks, but shows only the tail and rump, the legs being needed under water to maintain the vertical balance. While thus dabbling in the soft ooze, the water, of course, becomes exceedingly disturbed and murky and in consequence the avocet is obliged to depend upon the sensitiveness of his bill rather OUTLINES FOR SCOUT WORKERS 1071 than upon the keennes of his vision for the catching of desired prey. "These birds are not only waders, but swimmers and flyers as well, and they show little preference among these modes of activity. If you approach a little too' closely a wading avocet, he may walk off with digni- fied carelessness; and if the retreating bottom takes him beyong his depth, he is instantly at ease upon the water and swims off, duck-fashion, with keel held low in front, now glancing at you over one shoulder and now over the other. Or else, either from land or water, he takes quickly to wing, letting the long legs first dangle and then straighten out behind him as he progresses. Rising is thus a bit awkward, and in settling also the legs must firstbe brought forward to engage the surface of reef or pool before the wing motion ceases. In flight the motion may be either fairly rapid or quite leisurely, according to whether the bird is frightened or merely curious; while at sailing he is a past master, the neck and bill being outstretched to fullest capacity to offset the long rudder of the legs." The avocet is a very noisy fellow, and is not at all modest in making his presence known to persons venturing into his breeding grounds. His noise consists mainly of simple "crick- crik-crik-crik or creek-creek-creek" cries given in shrill pitches and resembling somewhat the softer and more musical notes of the curlew. May and early June are the breeding monrhs. One brood of fluffy, white chicks is reared each year. In case the first nest is destroyed the birds build the second and begin anew with the determination of succeeding in hatching and rearing the nest of young. When first out of the shell, the young are able to run and swim from danger and in quest of food in a manner that is positively surprising. As a rule the nest is simply a depression in the damp soil, lined with a limited supply of sticks and grasses. At times it is built upon mounds in the water and at others upon tall grasses in areas that have been flooded. Ordinarly four brown-buff or olive eggs, spotted and blotched with black and brown, are found in the nest. During some seasons, eggs bearing spots are found in the greater number, while during others, those with blotches predominate. Avocets are adepts in clever trickery when protecting eggs or young. If danger is afield the anxious bird hurries from the nest, feigns cripple, flutters, flounders, and sets up a most plain- tive cry in order to attract attention toward him and con- sequently away from the nest. One bird student in referring to the avocet's ruee writes as follows: With a splendid light and well equipped for photograph apprecia- tion,we put the canoe against a tiny reef upon which we saw a nest with three eggs. The mother bird had flushed at a hundred yards, but seeing our position, she flew toward us and dropped into the water some fifty feet away. Here she lifted a black wing in §imula.U 1072 IMPROVEMENT ERA ness and flopped and floundered away with the aid of the other one. See- ing that the ruse failed, she ventured nearer and repeated the experiment, lifting now one wing and now both, in token of utter helplessness. After awhile the male joined her, and we had the painful spectacle of a crippled family whose members were uttering most doleful cries of distress, neces- sitated apparently by their numerous aches and breaks. Once, for experiment's sake, we followed, and the waders flopped along in manifest delight, coaxing us up on shore and making off through the sagebrush with broken legs and useless wings. But we came back, finding it better to let the birds make the advances. Mr. Bowles hit upon the scheme of splashing gently in the water, and it served admirably to excite the birds and make them reckless. And the click, click of the camera was sweeter music to our ears than the explosion of death-dealing cart- ridges before a band of elk. The birds were driven to the very limit of frenzy, dancing, wing-trail- ing, swaying, going through last convulsions and beginning over again without regard to logical sequence, all in an agony of effort to divert attention from those precious eggs. It may seem cruel to have harassed them so, but we were sustained by the integrity of our purpose, which was not robbery but snap-shottery, and we neglected no opportunity to work upon their feelings. Neighbors came up and looked on sympathetically or joined in the clamor. As time elasped, however, the color of the play changed. Finding that the appeal to cupidity was of no avail, the birds appeared to fall back upon the appeal to pity. Decoying was useless, that was plain; so they stood with upraised wings quivering and moaning in tenderest supplication. It was too much even for conscious rectitude, and we withdrew abashed. The avooet is found pretty much throughout the temperate stretches of western North America. His cheery presence adds much to the desolate prairie lakes of these parts and his graceful flight, his piercing "crick, crick" call, and charming plumage, are always pleasantly associated with interesting bird experiences in the western half of Salt Lake Valley, the favorite breeding place of this charming long-legged wader.