GRALL.E CHARADRID.E ILEMATOPUS. 217 



GENUS ILEMATOPUS. Linnaeus. 



Bill long, compressed, stout, cuneate ; the tip much compressed. Nostrils basal, oblong- 

 linear, pervious, placed in a short furrow. Feet three-toed; all directed forward; the 

 outer and middle connected as far as the first joint : all the toes bordered with a narrow 

 membrane. 



THE AMERICAN OYSTER-CATCHER. 



H.EMATOPUS palliatus. 

 PLATE LXXX. FIG. 183. 



(STATE COLLECTION.) 



Pied Oyst'vcatcher. Pennant, Arrt. Znol. Vo'. 2, p. 489. 



//. osti-alegus. Wilson, Am. Oraiihology, Vol. 8, pi G4, fig. 2. Bonaparte, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. Vol. 



2, p. 300. Nuttali., Man. Oin. Vol. 2, pp. 12 and 15. 

 H. palliatus. Temminck, Man Orn. Vol. 2. p. 532. 



//. id, HonaPakte, Oss. snlla scconda eriirione del Rpgno Animalf. p. 94. Id. Grog, and Comp. List, p. 46. 

 //. id Audubon, Birds of Am. Vol.5, p. 23G, pi. 324. Oiraud, Birds of Long island, p. 222. 



Characteristics. Head, neck and throat brownish black. Back, scapnlaries and wings ash- 

 brown. The first three primaries of a uniform color. Length, 18' 0. 



Description. Bib stout, and particularly so at its deepest part. Naked portion of the 

 tibia, and the tarsus with hexagonal scales. Wings long and pointed ; the first quills longest. 

 Tail short, somewhat rounded, of twelve rounded feathers. 



Color. Bill red. Feet reddish. Head, neck and throat glossy black : lower eyelids white. 

 Tips of the secondary covcrls, outer secondaries, and breast and all beneath pure white. 

 Irides yellow. Base of the tail-feathers while; beyond this, ashy brown. 



Length, 170- 19 0. 



The Oyster-catcher, or as it is better known among our gunners by (he name of Flood 

 Gull, is not very common on ihe coast of ibis Slate. Jls eggs are cream-colored, spotted 

 with brownish black. It feeds on oysters and oihcr marine bivalves. The flesh is tough and 

 unsavory. It breeds from Texas to Labrador, and ranges from the tropics to the fifty-second 

 parallel. 



(EXTRA LIMIT AL.) 



H. bachmani. (Am. Birds of Am Vol.5, p. 243, pi. 325.) Bill and ecLcs of the eyelids vermilion. 



General color uniform brownish black. Feet whitish. Length, 17*5. Northwest Coast. 

 H. iownsendi. (In. ib. Vol 5, p. 245, pi. 326 ) Uniform brownish black. Wing-coverts narrowly 



edged with white. Feet red. Length, 20*0; of bill, 3-3. Northwest Coast. 



[Facna — Part 2.] 28 



