390 Charadriadce. 



Appearance. It is a very common bird in those localities on the 

 coast which abound in the molluscs on which it feeds, and its 

 loud ringing whistle, as it hurries shrieking away, must be 

 familiar to all who are acquainted with the seashore. From its 

 parti-coloured plumage it is sometimes (says Montagu) known as 

 the ' Skeldrake/ or ' Skelderdrake ' : sometimes, too, it is called 

 the 'Sea Pie,' and 'more correctly* (says Mr. Cecil Smith), 'for 

 it does not catch oysters ;'* and Mr. Harting is of opinion that 

 its long bill, powerful though it is in detaching limpets from the 

 rock and breaking open mussels and small crabs, is altogether 

 baffled in attempting to open an oyster.f Selby, however, main- 

 tains that it will insert the wedge-shaped point of its bill within 

 the valves, as the oysters lie partially open in shallow water, and 

 thus wrench them apart and extract the shell-fish : and that 

 they sometimes attempt this and are caught in so doing is 

 notorious, for instances have been known of the unfortunate bird 

 being made prisoner by the oyster closing upon its beak. In 

 Scandinavia it is known as Strand-Skata, or ' Strand- Magpie/ 

 and in some parts of England as the ' Mussel Picker/ which it 

 certainly is. The scientific name, Hcematopus, signifies ' with feet 

 the colour of blood ' which is sufficiently, though not very accu- 

 rately, descriptive from a^ia+Trou?; and ostralegus is derived 

 from ostrea, ' an oyster/ and lego, ' I collect ' (B.O.U.), and from 

 this are derived most of the names by which it is generally 

 known ; as in France L'Huiterier Pie ; in Germany, Geschackte 

 Austern-Fischer, 'Pied Oyster-fisher/ and in Portugal Ostraceiro. 

 When alighting at the edge of the water (says Harting), the 

 flocks always pitch with their heads to the wind, and no doubt 

 the reason for this is, that were they to alight with the wind at 

 their backs they might be carried over the edge into the water. 

 When wounded they will swim with great buoyancy, and even 

 dive when occasion requires. 



* ' Birds of Somerset,' p. 343. f ' Birds of Middlesex,' p. 161. 



