AMERICAN OYSTER-CATCHER 



286. Hcematopus 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 

 eggs are buffy, spotted with blackish-brown ( 2.20 x 

 1.50); May. 



Range. Breeds on the coast north to Virginia; later 

 may stray to Xova Scotia. Winters south of the U. S. 175 



