700 THE BLACK OYSTER-CATCHER 
ff’ the birds cause the rocks to resound with their strident cries, and if there 
re neighbors, these join forces with the immediately besieged ones until our 
cal che 
Left to themselves, the birds are no Wuakers, ind the antics ot courtship 
are both noisy and amusing \ certain duet, especially, consists of a series of 
wkward bowings and bendings in which the neck ts stretched to the utmost 
cd arched « er stiffly int 1 pose as grotesque as one ol Crutk shank s draw 
ngs,—the whole to an accompaniment of amorous clucks and wails 
The eggs of the Black O Ster-catcher, norn il] three in number ire otten 
est placed in. the ollow of i bare rock, ined with 1 pint or so of rock flakes 
laboriously gathered Occasionally bits of shell, especially the caleareous 
plates of the goose barnacle, are added by way of adornment Now and then 
the wader emulates the gull and*prepares a careful lining of grasses. One 
al , ae Khas 
such nest with three eggs | passer repeatedly, on Carroll, 
anguidly supposing 
Professor Jones exclaimed over it 
For a nesting site the upper 
reaches of barren reefs o1 
