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■IIIE PIED OYSTER-CATCHEH.* 



The Oyster-catchers sit quietly in pairs the chief part of the day ou the banks or islands 

 of shingle about the river or on the shore, but resort in the evening to the sands in large 

 flocks. Mr. St. John, who has carefully observed them in the Highlands, remarks : — 

 " I have often been puzzled to imderstand why, during the whole of the breeding season, 

 the oyster-catchers remain in large flocks along the coast, notwithstanding their duties of 

 hatching and rearing their young. When all the other birds are paired ofl:', they still 

 every now and then collect in the same numbers that they do in winter. 



" They lay very lai'ge eggs, of a greenish-brown colour, mottled with black. Both 

 these birds and pewits soon become tame and familiar if kept in a garden or elsewhere, 

 watching boldly for the worms turned up by the gardener when digging. The oyster- 

 catcher's natural food appears to be shell-fish only ; I see them digging up the cockles 

 with their powerful bill, or detaching the smaU mussels from the scarps, and swallowing 

 them whole, when not too large ; if, however, one of these birds finds a coclde too large 

 to swallow at once, he digs away at it -n-ith the hard point of his bill till he opens it, and 

 then eats the fish, leaving the .shell. 



" It is a curious fact with regard to this bird, thait if it drops winged in the sea, it not- 

 only swims with great ease, but dives, remaining under ^vater for so long a time, and 

 rising again at such a distance, that I have known one escape out to sea in spite of my 

 retriever, and I have watched the bird swim gallantly and with apparent ease across the 

 bay, or to some bank at a considerable distance off'. The feet of the oyster-catcher seem 

 particularly ill-adapted for swimming, as the toes are \ery short and stiff" in proportion 

 to the size "of the bird. Most of the waders, when shot above the water and winged, Avill 

 swim for a short distance, but generally with difficulty ; none of them, however, excepting 

 this bird, attempt to dive. 



" When in captivity the oyster- catcher eats almost anything that is offered to it. 

 From its brilliant black and white plumage and red bill, as well as from its utility in 

 destroying slugs and snails in th2 garden, where it searches for them witli unceasing 

 activity, it is both ornamental and useful, and worthy of being oftener kept for this pur- 

 pose where a garden is surrounded by walls ; it will, if taken young, remain with great 

 contentment with poultry without being confined. I liave found its nest in different 

 localities, sometimes on the stones and sometimes on the sand close to high-water mark, 

 and very often on the small islands and points of land about the river." 



• Htcmatopus OstrQlofpis.— Linn. 



