752 HCEMATOPUS RECUR VIROSTRA 



amongst the gravel, or stones, slightly above high-water mark. 

 These are stone-buff with purplish grey underlying, and blackish 

 of blackish brown surface spots and blotches, and measure about 

 2-24 by 1-52. 



Dr. Sharpe grants specific rank to the East Asiatic bird 

 (IT. osculans), but I cannot consider it even worthy of subspecific 

 rank, as it only has, as a rule, less white on the outer primaries, 

 and a somewhat longer bill, but even these slight differences do 

 not appear to be constant. 



1045. AFRICAN BLACK OYSTER-CATCHER. 

 H^MATOPUS MOQUINI. 



Hcematopus moquini, Bp. Comp. rend, xliii. p. 1020 (1856) ; Dresser, ix. 

 p. 359, pi. 711 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxiv. p. 119 ; H. capensis 

 (Licht.), Verz. Doubl. p. 73 (1823 nom. mid.) ; Meade Waldo, Ibis, 

 1889, p. 13. 



Corveno, in Graciosa ; Grajo do Mar, on Lanzarote ; Cuervo 

 marino, on Fuerteventura. 



<J ad. (Fuerteventura). Entire plumage dark sooty black ; bill and 

 bare part round the eye coral-red ; legs deep crimson ; iris bright red. 

 Culmen 3'45, wing 9'8, tail 4*3, tarsus 2'0 inch. Sexes alike. 



Hob. South Africa, north to the Red Sea and Gaboon : 

 Canaries; Madeira. 



In habits it does not appear to differ from H. ostralegus. It 

 breeds in the Canaries and in South Africa, depositing its eggs, 

 usually 2, but sometimes 4, in number, on the sand or shingle 

 just above high-water mark. The eggs are greyish cream- 

 coloured, somewhat sparsely covered with coarse, irregular wavy, 

 black and dark brown broken lines, and measure about 2*6 

 by 1-9. 



According to Pallas (Zoogr. Ross. As. ii. p. 131), the West 

 American Oyster-catcher, Hcematopus niger, occurs on the Kuril e 

 Islands, but so far as I can ascertain no specimen has been 

 obtained there. 



BECURVIROSTRA, Linn., 1766. 



1046. AVOCET. 

 RECURVIROSTRA AVOCETTA. 



Recurvirostra avocetta, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 256 (1766) ; Naum. viii. 

 p. 213, Taf. 204 ; Hewitson, ii. p. 339, pi. xcii. fig. 2 ; Gould, B. of 

 E. iv. pi. 308 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. iv. pi. 53 ; Dresser, vii. p. 577, 



