672 BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
Walwich Bay. Dr. Bradshaw procured a specimen on the Orange 
River in December, 1881, and Mr. Ayres has met with it in Natal 
frequenting the sea-shore. Sir John Kirk found it on the shores 
of Lake Nyassa, and Mr. Andersson observes, “The Turnstone is 
pretty common all along the south-west coast of Africa, and is found 
either in pairs or in small flocks. I never met with the nest of this 
species in Africa, although I was acquainted with its mode of 
nidification from having seen its nests on the coast of Sweden.” 
General colour of the upper parts, dark brown, glossed with green 
and purple, the feathers edged with pale brown ; fore-part and sides 
of the head, brownish-white, mottled with black ; throat white; a 
band on each side from the lower mandible, the side of the head 
behind the ear-coverts, and the fore-part of the neck, black; the 
feathers slightly edged with whitish; the rest of the lower parts 
pure white, as on the hind part of the back and the upper tail- 
coverts, some of the rump-feathers, however, being black; the tail 
is white at the base, brownish-black towards the end, edged 
externally with light-brown, the outer web of the outer, and the tips 
of all, excepting the two middle, white; legs and feet orange ; 
claws black, as is also the bill; the lower mandible tinged with red 
at the base. Length, 9” 9”; wing, 6” 4”; tail, 2” 9”. 
Fig. Dresser, B. Eur. vii, pl. 532. 
647, Hamarorus capensis, Licht. African Black Oyster-Catcher. 
Hematopus moquini, Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 300. 
The “ Oyster-Catcher” is not uncommon along the shores of 
South Africa, extending far towards the Line on both sides of the 
continent. It is generally found in pairs, and feeds on small fish, 
mollusea, &c., which it picks up along the margin of the retreating 
tide. The colours of all the naked parts change considerably after 
death. It breeds with us; and we have been favoured with eggs, 
collected by Mr. Hugo, of Simon’s Town, who procured them along 
the shore towards Cape Point. The eggs are generally two in 
number, laid in a simple depression in the sand, in the debris 
accumulated just beyond high-water mark. They are of a greyish 
cream-coloured ground, generally, but rather sparsely covered with 
coarse, irregular wavey black and dark brown broken lines: axis, 
2” 6’; diam., 1” 9’. Mr. L. C. Layard found it breeding on 
Robben Island about Christmas, 1865. Mr. Rickard has found 
A et ee NG “te Sa Cima tre taly gettin AIR eee aS eS ea eENER ch a 
