246 HILL BIRDS OF SCOTLAND 



food, mussels being favourite morsels. The birds feed 

 by night as well as during the day : it depends entirely 

 on the state of the tide. 



Northward of our Islands the Oyster Catcher breeds 

 in the Faroes and plentifully in Scandinavia. It is also 

 found in Ireland, and even, as far north as Archangel. 

 During the winter migration it is found in Africa, and 

 extends as far as India. 



Descri'ption. — The bill is long and blunt, coloured of 

 a beautiful and striking red. Head, neck, mantle, and 

 wings black. The lower back, rump, and basal half 

 of the tail white. Breast and abdomen white. Median 

 and major wing coverts white. Legs and feet pale yellow. 

 After the autumn moult a band of white extends back- 

 wards from the chin to join a broad white band reaching 

 from the ear coverts across the throat. The full-fledged 

 young have the greater wing coverts, innermost secondaries 

 and scapulars with pale margins. The longest upper tail 

 coverts are barred across the tips with black and buff. 

 The downy young are pale brown above mottled with 

 grey. On the crown is a black patch. Along the back 

 run two longitudinal stripes of black, and a loop of black 

 is present at the hinder end of the body. The under parts 

 are white. 



On one occasion I observed an almost pure white 

 Oyster Catcher in a certain glen. The bird appeared to 

 be one of a pair nesting near, but its abnormal colour 

 evidently rendered it distasteful to the other birds of 

 its species, for they were inclined to pursue it when it 

 appeared. 



