CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. 55 



I have found it on rough rocky sea coasts, sandy 

 strands, etc., but, perhaps, the most favoured locaHty 

 would be something like what I found on the coast 

 line of the Island of Mull, which runs from Salen in 

 the direction of Tobermory. Here I found long 

 ridges of low-lying rocks, the tops of which would 

 be nearly covered during high spring tides ; this 

 sort of ground alternated with sandy slopes and 

 shingle. The specimens in the case were obtained 

 when staying at Salen Hotel. 



After hiring a boat at Salen with a couple of men, 

 I sailed down the coast in the direction of 

 Tobermory, and also in the opposite direction. 

 Paradinof this shore as I did, I found occasional 

 opportunities of getting these birds, although I did 

 not find them very confiding ; and as they are 

 compactly built, with tight dense feathers, they 

 required to be hit very hard before they would come 

 down. 



These birds make their nests on the rocks above 

 high water mark. When I say nest, there is very 

 little indication of anything beyond a few small 

 stones set round. In the event of epfSfs beingr laid 

 on the shingle nothing would be necessary. 



The idea has been to show one pair of birds with 

 their young and another with their eggs. 



Howard Saunders says he thinks the word 

 Catcher is a corruption of an old Dutch word which 

 means Magpie ; but why the species should be 

 termed Oyster Catcher I can't understand — oysters 

 forming no part of its food. This bird may always 



