BRITAIN^S BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 73 



fear of detection, there it will make the banks resound to its 

 loud and meny calling all day long, and often through half 

 the night. 



In the nesting season the Oyster-Catcher is practically 

 confined to the neighbourhood of such haunts, whether river- 

 side or coastal ; but at other times it is more widely dis- 

 tributed along both stream and shore. After nesting 

 duties have begun each pair keeps pretty much to itself 

 and to its own chosen ground ; during non-nesting seasons 

 it is more markedly gregarious. 



It is generally in May that the eggs are laid on the shingle- 

 bed, or on some less usual ground — a ploughed field even 

 may be selected. Three is the normal clutch ; the eggs 

 are tinted buff, and spotted and scrolled with black. 

 Against their customary background they are extremely 

 difficult to detect. The same is true of the downy chicks, 

 which are pale below, huffish stone-coloui- above, with dark 

 markings arranged longitudinally. 



The species gets its ordinarj'^ name ' Oyster-Catcher,'' and 

 its local one ' Mussel-Picker,' from the fact that it feeds largely 

 on molluscs. When dealing with these it shows great skill 

 in the use of its strong beak. When searching for edible 

 mussels, for instance, it passes by those left high and dry by 

 the tide, for they keep their ' valves ' tightly closed together. 

 Those lying partly open under a layer of wet mud or 

 sand are detected in some mysterious manner. The beak is 

 thrust in between the two ' valves,' and is used as a lever or 

 to break the strong-closing muscles by sideways movements. 

 Sometimes more forcible methods of effecting; an entrance are 

 resorted to. In fact, the method of attack varies with the 

 position as well as with the nature of the victim. 



[The Turnstone has been suspected, but not proved, to have 

 nested exceptionally within our area, to the coasts of which 

 it is a migrational visitor.] 



J 



