778 NESTS AW tGCS Ob AISTRXUAS' BIRDS. 



Except one fully fledged, we did not observe on King Island the young 

 which Gould states are capable of riuiniug soon, and in case of danger 

 secrete themselves in a crevice of rocks or behind a stone. In down 

 they are gi'eyish-buff, with black spots on the back, and with a dark 

 longitudinal stripe on each side above the wing. 



The breeding months are from July to January, the early months 

 applying to the tropical or sub-tropical coast localities. 



Sir Walter BuUer records the interesting fact that this Oyster 

 Catcher does not always breed contiguous to the sea shore, as instances 

 are known, of its nesting on sandy plains a couple of miles or more inland. 



599. — HiEMATOPUs uNicoLOK, Wagler. — (4'J9) 

 BLACK OYSTER CATCHER. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vi., pi. 8. 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxiv., p. ii8. 



Prtvious Descriptions of Eggs. — Ciould : Birds of Australia (1S48) , 

 also Handbook, vol. ii., p. 218 (1865); Buller : Birds of New 

 Zealand (1S73), also vol. ii., p. ig (1888); I.egge : Proc. Roy. 

 Soc, Tasmania, p. 130 (1S881 : North: Austn. Mus. Cat., 

 wilh fig., p. 300 (1S89) ; Campbell : Proc. Austn. Assoc, vol. v., 

 p. 427 (1893) ; also Victorian Naturalist, p. 183 (1894). 



tieiji/rapliicril Disfrihutimi. — Coast of whole of Australia and Tas- 

 mania ; also New, Zealand. 



Nc.'it. — Usually a rocky ledge or hollow, not far distant from higii- 

 water mark. 



Eijija. — Clutch, two ; elliptical or oval in shape ; texture of shell 

 somewhat coarse ; sui^face glossy ; colour, stony-grey, moderately 

 marked with irregular-shaped blotches (large and small) of umber or 

 dark-brown, a few duU-gTcyish splashes and marks appearing beneath 

 the shell's surface. Dimensions in inches of proper clutches ; 



I 73 (sharper pointed egg). 



'7' 



173 (sharper pointed egg). 



1 71 



17 J (sharper pointed agg). 



171 



The eggs ai-c similar to those of the Pied Oyster Catchers, but are 

 larger in size, darker in the ground-colour, and the character of the 

 markings ;ts a rule are not so uniformly roundish in shape. 



Ohservdtious. — Wo also found the Sooty or Black Oyster Catcher on 

 King Island, Bass Strait, but. although not so numerous, it was ciiually 

 as interesting as the White-breasted species, wilh which the sooty at 



