AMERICAN OYSTER-CATCHER 
286. Hematopus palliatus. 19 in. 
Bill very long, heavy, compressed, and thin and chisel- 
like at the tip. Bill and eye, red; legs flesh color. 
These large, awkward looking birds are not scarce on 
the South Atlantic coast, where they are met with in 
pairs or small companies. They run with great swift- 
ness, or walk sedately along the beaches and marshes 
gathering insects and fiddler crabs, of which they are 
very fond. They are said to have got their name from 
the habit of eating oysters when they found them with 
the shell open, a practice that would be extremely haz- 
ardous for them to undertake, as these shellfish close 
their two valves very quickly and would be apt to catch 
the bird. Owing to their large size they are frequently 
shot at and, consequently, are usually shy. 
Nest.—A depression in the sand; the two or three 
eges are buffy, spotted with blackish-brown (2.20x 
1.50); May. 
Range.—Breeds on the coast north to Virginia; later 
may stray to Nova Scotia. Winters south of the U. 8. 
