OYSTER-CATCHER. 7 



times in large flocks^ may be seen flying rapidly and silently jnst above the 

 surface of the water on the way to their usual feeding-place_, remaining 

 there busily engaged amongst the seaweed-covered rocks after the tide 

 turnSj and until the rocks are gradually covered once more; then the 

 Oyster-catchers quit them, remaining, however, as long as a mussel or a 

 limpet is above water, and returning inshore to the quiet rocky points 

 or sandy bays. If in a loch, they settle on the little islets, awaiting the 

 falling of the tide, when they can renew their labours. Regularly as 

 clockwork, in conjunction with the tide, the birds fly to and fro, and by 

 observing this habit the state of the water may be pretty accurately judged. 

 Oyster-catchers may often be seen flocking and feeding with other birds, 

 but, being the first to take fright, they usually fly off" by themselves. 



The food of the Oyster-catcher is principally composed of mussels, 

 whelks, limpets, and other mollusks, together with sand-worms, crus- 

 taceans, and other small marine animals. This fare is sometimes varied 

 with the tender leaves and shoots of marine plants. The shell of the 

 mollusk is never swallowed, the bird scooping out the animal with its sharp 

 powerful bill, but quantities of grit and bits of pebble are sometimes found 

 in its stomach. The Oyster-catcher will also feed on small fish. Its flesh, 

 though dark, is by no means unpalatable. 



The Oyster-catcher pairs in the beginning of April, and by the end of 

 that month the birds seek a nesting-site, many eggs being laid early in 

 May. In some districts they are not laid before the middle or end of this 

 month or the beginning of June. The usual breeding-grounds of the 

 Oyster-catcher are on the shingly beaches or on the rocky islands or 

 stacks, and less frequently amongst the links or sand-dunes ; for this bird 

 is not particularly partial to sand, and even in most sandy districts always 

 chooses a portion of the shore which is rocky or covered with shingle. 

 The nest, if such it can be called, is generally just above high-water mark ; 

 but the eggs are often found in situations where they would be washed 

 away if an exceptionally high tide occurred. On the rock-stacks the bird 

 often hatches its eggs as much as fifty feet above the water, and its young, 

 in some instances, are consequently prisoners until able to fly, if they do 

 not swim or are not conveyed to the mainland by their parents. A pecu- 

 liarity attached to the nidification of the Oyster-catcher is the number of 

 nests it forms and then deserts ere making one to its liking. Frequently 

 several empty nests are found near the one that is tenanted, as though the 

 bird had ti'ied several before it had been suited. The nest is merely a little 

 hollow amongst the rough shingle and broken shells, or in the sand, about 

 six inches across and about an inch deep, and this is lined with little scraps 

 of shells and small pebbles, generally more or less neatly and smoothly 

 arranged. Sometimes the eggs are deposited in a little hollow amongst 

 the drifted seaweed. The eggs of this bird have been found in several 



