AMERICAN" OYSTER CATCHER 311 



W. J. Erichsen (1921) "found a single egg deposited in a depres- 

 sion on top of a wall of oyster shells on Raccoon Key," but an un- 

 usually high tide washed the egg away. He also found a set of 

 three eggs " in a slight depression on top of a bank of oyster shells 

 which had been thrown up by the surf " ; and he says that " where 

 nesting sites of this character can be found, this species always 

 selects them." 



Oyster catchers' nests are usually not near together, but M. H. 

 Burroughs has sent me some notes on some nests he found in 

 Glynn County, Ga., that are an exception to the rule. A set of 

 four eggs, two fresh and two partially incubated, was " on a slight 

 mound, the nest having a few broken bits of shells in it and nearly 

 entirely surrounded with a rim of broken bits of shells, evidently 

 raked up by the birds." Six feet away, under a log " which had both 

 ends resting on mounds of sand," was a set of two. There were two 

 other nests, each about 150 feet away in different directions. 



George B. Sennett (1879) found a nest on Padre Island, Tex., 

 which was quite different ; he describes it as follows : 



The nest was situated on dry miid a rod or so from the water, and was 

 simply a slight depression, of the size of a small tea plate, lined with shells 

 and pieces of shells ; none of them were larger than an inch in diameter, and 

 most much smaller. They were chiefly small oyster shells, and were placed 

 more on the sides than at the bottom of the nest. No particle of grass or 

 anything else but shells composed the nest. What was strange to me was that 

 on the island where I found it not a shell or piece of one could be seen, and 

 these must have been brought by the bird itself from the adjacent shell islands 

 or oyster beds. This was the only nest found on the island. 



Walter J. Hoxie (1887) claims to have seen an oyster catcher 

 remove the eggs from a nest he was watching. Both birds were 

 standing near the nest, when " one flew off to a distance of about 100 

 yards." He then observed : 



After looking carefully about for a few minutes, he gave a call, and his 

 mate rose from her nest and joined him. They seemed to be making a lot of 

 fuss out there, kicking up the sand, squatting down, and cackling like mad. 

 In a few minutes, though, they seemed to get over this excitement and one 

 bird came flying back and settled on the eggs. Now she began to act strangely, 

 wiggling round and squatting down again, and I began to think she was going to 

 lay another egg, when off she went and joined her mate who welcomed her 

 coming with the most extravagant cries and gestures. But she sat down 

 quite still and demure. I was about to rise and look for my third egg when I 

 saw her coming back. Again she went through the same operation and her 

 second welcome was, if possible, more exuberant than the first. Then all was 

 quiet; one bird sat on the sand and the other stood silently by her, and 

 though I waited some time longer they showed no sign of returning again to 

 (heir eggs, and I could only conclude that they had seen me watching them 

 and would not come back until I went away. So I arose from my uncom- 

 fortable position and went to pick up the eggs, when to my surprise the little 

 2316—29 ^21 



