60 PLUVIALIN^E. OSTRALEGUS. 



that part. The young are at first covered with down, of a 

 greyish -white mottled with brown. When fledged, they have 

 the bill pointed, the dark parts chocolate brown, the feathers 

 slightly margined with yellowish-red ; the breast, belly, great- 

 er part of the back, half of the tail and its coverts, white. 



Male, 17, 35, 10^, 3J, 2, 1 T ^, T \. Female 18, 36. 



The Oyster-catcher occurs on all our coasts, on many parts 

 of which it is abundant. After the breeding season it forms 

 flocks, which are frequently very numerous. At this period 

 they are met with chiefly on low rocky shores, or at the 

 mouths of rivers. Their food consists chiefly of patellae, ba- 

 lani, small bivalve shells, young crabs, and other marine 

 animals. They often repose on extensive sands, as well as 

 rocky headlands. Occasionally they wade in the water, but 

 in general seek their food in exposed parts. They run with 

 great celerity, have a strong and rapid flight, and emit a very 

 loud shrill cry, which on certain occasions is modulated into 

 several notes. In April the flocks break up, and the indivi- 

 duals disperse in pairs, some ascending the rivers, but by far 

 the greater number breeding on the shores of the sea, in un- 

 frequented places. The nest is a hollow made among the 

 gravel or pebbles ; sometimes however in rocky places some 

 fragments of plants are placed in it. The eggs, generally 

 three, sometimes four, are oval, two inches long, an inch and 

 seven-twelfths in breadth, pale greyish-yellow, marked all 

 over with dots, spots, and blotches of blackish-brown and 

 umber, with some irregular linear markings of the same. 

 The young soon leave the nest, but skulk among the rocks 

 or herbage nearly until able to fly. The old birds evince 

 much anxiety for their eggs and young, fly about the intruder, 

 but, at a distance, feign lameness, and are extremely voci- 

 ferous. 



Sea Pie or Piet. Pianet. Choldrick. 



Hsematopus Ostralegus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 257. Hsema- 

 topus Ostralegus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. ii. 752. Hsematopus 

 Ostralegus, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. ii. 531. Ostralegus Ha> 

 matopus, Pied Oyster-catcher, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, iv. 



We have now passed in review all the British RUNNERS, 

 and have seen that, in searching for food, they are guided 

 entirely by sight, their eyes being large, in some remark- 

 ably so, they being in a great measure nocturnal. Some 



