696 



THE BLACK OYSTER-CATCHER. 



black varied by rust)- edgings of feathers; bill shorter, pointed, dusky. Dok'hx 

 young: Ashy gray, striped above with black. Length of adult about 17.50 

 (444.5) ; wing 10.00 (254) ; tail 4.50 ( 114.3) ; bill _^.oo ( 76.2) ; tarsus 2.25 (57.2). 



Recognition Marks. — Crow size; uniform black plumage; vermilion beak. 



Nesting. — Xcst: a pint of rock-flakes placed on rock or reef just above the 

 tide-line. Eijgs: 2 or 3, oli\'e-butt of varying shade, spotted boldly, but often 

 sparingly, with black and dark brown, with some imbedded markings of the same. 

 A\. size, 2.20x1.53 (55.9x38.9). Season: c. June ist; one brood. 



General Range. — Pacific Coast of North America from Lower California 

 north to the Aleutians; the Kurile Islands; breeding thruout most of its range. 



Range in Washington. — Common resident upon the Olympiades and the ad- 

 jacent coa^t ; sparingly resident on the smaller islands of the San Juan group. 



Authorities. — ? Audubon, Birds of .America, \'ol I\'. pi. 427. Townsend, 

 Narrative, (1839) p. 348. T. C&S. RH. E. 



Specimens. — ( U. of W. 1 I'rov. C. E. 



PROS\' hedgerows and quiet tluck-poiids for such as like theni; but roar- 

 ing reefs and a pounding sea for the Black 0}'ster-catcher ! And what more 

 roinaiitic spot to charm the eve and fire the imagination, than a bird rock in the 

 l)lue Pacific ! The fog. it may be, shrouded the entire scene at daybreak, but as 

 we launch out fnmt the surf at nine o'clock, it is clearing away, and only stray 



wisps of mist cling 

 about the battlements 

 of the promised isle, 

 a league otishore. 

 As we approach, un- 

 easy gulls and inquir- 

 ing puffins pass near 

 us o\'erhea(l, the 

 former drifting 

 u|j as tho casu- 

 ally, but quaver- 

 ing suspicious- 

 ly ; the latter in- 

 cluding us u])on 

 the rim of great 

 circles several 

 times repeated, 

 and checking 

 their llight eacli 

 time sufficiently 



Scene in The Giants' Graveyard. PItnto by the Amhor. *'^ SUrN'ey US 



•■R0.\RiNG REEFS .VXD .\ rouNnixf, SKA." With grave and 



