4 BRITISH BIRDS. 



H^MATOPUS OSTRALEGUS. 

 OYSTER-CATCHER. 



(Plate 24.) 



Ostralega ostralega, Briss. Om. v. p. 38 (1760). 



Ilsematopus ostralegus, Linn. Stjst. Nat. i. p. 257 (1766) ; et auctorum plurimorum 



— Kdiwutnn, Schlegel, Keyserlbu/ Sf Blasius, Gray, Saunders, Sec. 

 Scolopax pica, Scop. Aim. I. Hist. Nat. p. 95 (1769). 

 Ostralega pica (Scop.), Bonn. Encycl. Meth. i. p. 26 (1790). 

 Hsematopus hypoleuca, Pall. Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat. ii. p. 129 (1826). 

 Ostralega europaea, Less. Man. (VOrn. ii. p. 300 (1828). 

 Ostralegus vulgaris, Less. Rev. Zeol. 1839, p. 47. 

 Ostralegus lifematopus, Mucyill. Man. Brit. B. ii. p. 59 (1842). 

 Haematopus macrorliynclius, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beny. xiv. p. 548 (1845). 



The Oyster-catcher is one of the most conspicuous birds to be found on 

 our shores, but is comparatively rare on the low-lying coasts or those which 

 are much frequented. North of Yorkshire and Lancashire, and thi'oughout 

 the entire coast-line of Scotland, it is much more common, and in many 

 localities breeds in abundance. It frequents nearly all the adjacent islands, 

 including the Orkneys, Shetlands, and the Hebrides, and even isolated 

 St. Kilda. It is commonly distributed on the Irish coasts. To the extreme 

 north it is principally a summer visitor, but in winter it is generally dis- 

 tributed on all our shores. Although the Oyster-catcher is par excellence 

 a coast-bird, it often wanders inland for some distance. In some parts of 

 Scotland it also breeds on inland lochs and on the banks of large rivers. 



The Oyster-catcher is almost cosmopolitan in its range, but appears to 

 be unrepresented in the western portion of the Ncarctic Region, the 

 Ethiopian Region, and in the central portion of the Pahearctic Region. 

 The result of this geographical distribution appears to be five pied species, 

 which, though very nearly allied, are not known to intergrade, though it 

 is extremely probable that further researches may lead to the discovery of 

 the missing links, in which case the three Old- World species may have to 

 be degraded to the rank of subspecies. 



The West Pala^arctic species ranges from the Atlantic to the valley of the 

 Obb. In the western portion of its distribution it is almost exclusively a 

 sca-shorc bird, but cast of the Black and White Seas it is only found 

 during the breeding-season on the shores of lakes and rivers. It is a 

 regular summer visitor to the coasts of North-west Europe as far north as 

 land extends, and as far cast as Archangel ; further east it is no longer 

 found on the sea-shore, but ascends the Volga and the Kama, crossing over 

 to the Petchora, on the banks of which river, as also on those of the Obb, 



