162 FAUNA OF SHROPSHIRE. 



OYSTER-CATCHER. Another shore bird, often called 



Hamatopiis ostmlegus. Sea-pie, on account of its pied plumage. 



It is plentiful on the neighbouring 



coasts of North Wales, and has occurred in the County 



at Atcham, Wem, and Cruckton. Mr. Brownlow 



Tower observed a pair at Ellesmere, on the 2gth March, 



1899, an d watched their movements through a field-glass 



for some time. The long straight bill is bright yellow, 



while the legs are pink and the feet have no hind toe. 



(Illustration on page 195). 



Avocet. A long-legged, black and white bird, with curious 



Recurvirostm avocetta. awl-shaped beak. Pennant in his 



British Zoology, (1812), says that the 



Avocet sometimes occurred on the Shropshire meres. It 



is now very rare even in the Fen district. 



Grey Phalarope. Distinguished from the Dotterel and 

 Pkalaropus fulicarius. other small plovers, by its slightly 

 webbed toes, this pretty grey and white 

 bird visits us frequently on its migrations, generally in 

 autumn. It is very confiding, and seems to resort to 

 ponds, often close to farm houses. It is equally at home 

 on land or water. The most recent occurrences are : one 

 shot on Ludlow Racecourse Oct. 7th, and another killed 

 against telegraph wires, near Walcot, Oct. 5th, both in 

 1896. Shropshire specimens are almost invariably in 

 the light winter plumage. 



Red-necked Phalarope. A much more rare bird than the last. 



P. hyperboreus. Mr. Paddock in a letter to Mr. Beckwith states 



that a pair was shot near Newport in the 



autumn of 1890, but omits the species from his book, so the record is 



here indicated as doubtful. 



