no 



PE^COCIAL GRALLATORES — LDIICOL.E. 



Hccmatopus ostralegus. 



EUROPEAN OYSTER CATCHER. 



Hccm.ato}ms ostralegus, Lixn. Faun. Suec. 69 ; S. N. ed. 10, 1758, 152 ; ed. 12, 1766, 257. — Naxim. 



Viig. Doutschl. VII. 1834, 325, pi. 181. — Schleg. Rev. Crit. 85. — Keys. & Blas. Wiib. Eur. 



71. — GiiAY, Gen. B. III. 547; Cat. Brit. B. 1863, 142. — Macgill. Hist. Brit. B. IV. 1852, 



152. — RiDGW. Xoni. X. Aui. B. ISSl, no. 506. — Coues, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, no. 595 



(" ostrikrjiis "). 

 Hccmatopus hypolnocm, Pall. Zoog. Eosso-As. II. 1811, 129. 



Hcematopus longirostrU, Vikill. Euc. :\Icth. II. 1820, 340. — Gould. B. Austr. VI. pi. 7. 

 Hccmatopus incatus, VlfiOKS, King's Voy. Austr. Alp. 420. 

 Ostralega pica, Bonxat. Enc. Meth. 1790, 25. 

 Ostralcga curopcea. Less. Traite, 1831, 548. 

 Hcematopus australasianus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1837, 155. 

 Ostralegus vulgaris. Less. Piev. Zoiil. 1839, 47. 

 Ostralegus Jucmatopus, Macgill. Man. II. 59. 

 Hccmatopus balticus, Biiehm, Vog. Deutschl. 563. 

 Hccmatopus oricntalis, Bueiim, 1. c. 

 Hccmatopus osculans, Swixh. P. Z. S. 1871, 405. 

 Pied Oyster Catcher, Penx. Brit. Zool. II. 1812, 112, pi. 19. 

 Oyster Catcher, Yarr. Brit. B. ed. 2, II. 496, fig, ; ed. 3, II. 525, fig., et Auct. 



Hab. Rea-coasts of the Pala?arctic region, Xew Zealand, etc. ; occasional in Greenland 

 (Reinh. J. f. 0. 1854, 425 ; Ibis, I86I-I869. Julianehaab, 1847 ; Godthaab, 1851 ; Nenortalik, 

 three specimens). 



Sp. Char. Adult: Head, neck, jugulum, wings, and tail, Mack, the head and neck somewhat 

 plumbeous in certain lights, the wings and tail slightly bi'ownish. Rest of the plumage^ including 

 the entire rump, upper tail-coverts, base of the tail, greater wing-coverts, and lower parts, pure 

 white. Throat sometimes with a white trtiiisverse band, and in some specimens other white 



markings about the head.i Bill "vermilion, tinged with yellow as far as the end of the nasal 

 groove, the attenuated part dull yellow ; " iris crimson, eyelids vermilion ; feet " pale lake or 

 purplish red." (Macgillivray.) Young: " General color of the dark parts . . . deep chocolate- 

 brown, the feathers slightly margined with yellowish red ; the breast, belly, greater part of the 

 back [i. e. rump ?], half of the tail, and its coverts . . . white ; " bill " more tinged with orange, 

 but the feet . . . nearly as described above " (Macgillivray). 



1 According to Macgillivray (Hist. Brit. B. IV. p. 155), these variations appear to be of an individual 

 character, "birds at all seasons occurring with the varieties as to the white marks on the ueck mentioned 

 above." 



