110 



PR.ECOCIAL r, HALT, ATI )RKS — LIMICOL.E. 



Btematopu* nlger. 



BLACK OYSTER CATCHEH. 



Uitmiilopiin iiltjn; P.VI.I.. Zoog. Itimso-As. II. 1H;)1, 1:11. — Baiiip, llinls N. Am. If.lS, 700 ; Cnt. 



N. Am. n. 18,V.i, no. .113. — foiKs, Key, 1»7'J, -Jlti; fhcvk List, 1873, no. 4(i:i ; 'Jil I'J. 18SJ, no. 



61*7— KiDiiW. Norn. N.Am. It. ISS'i, no. :.08. 

 IIirmolniniH llii,-lin„tin, An>. <>in. 111..),'. V. lS;)ii, •il"), \A. 427 i Synoii. 1831), 220 ; Birds Am. V. 1842, 



213, pi, 32'). — T.)\VNs Nun. Ks31i, 348. 



IIah. Piuilii' coast of Xorlli Aincrii'ii, iis far south n« Lower Caliloriiia ; lirecdin); »oiith to 

 Sunta C'rii/, CalU'oniia Kuril.- l^'Ianll'<. 



Sr. C'H.vn. All nil : Hca.l, neck, aii.i juj,'uliini Mick, willi iiuirc or less of a pliniilicoiis cast ; 

 rest of till- ])liiiiiaj,'c uniform Ma.kisli In-own. " I'.ill vcrniiiion, fa.linj,' to vcllow on tin- worn j.ails 

 towanl till' cntl. E.l'.'fs of cycliiis vciniilion ; iris yellow. Feet white, sli^-litly tinged with Ite.sli- 

 color ; claws yellowish, t.iward the en. I dusky" (Arnriiox). 



Win^', !K(i(>-lo.7.'> ; culnien, 2..')i>-2.!).') ; greatest dejith of hill (I'orwanl of nostril), .45-.02 ; tnr- 

 flu.«, 1.8.')-2.25 ; middle toe, l.;)t)-l. (!."). 



There is no very young siiecinieii of //. iili/ir in the coHecti.in ; hut a very young exaniide of 

 the southern form (var. atcr) from Tierra del l-'iiego (No. i:)484) is wholly dusky blackish, each 



feather, above and below, except on the head and neck, tipped with a naiTow bar of pale ochra- 

 ceous. This character of immaturity is indicated in several of the specimens of if. uigcr in the 

 collection by the presence of a few whitish narrow bars on the abdomen. One e.vaniple, still 

 younger (No. 28000, Straits of Fuca), ha;^ some of the wing-coverts narrowly and indistinctly 

 tipped with ochraceous, and the bill is yellowish horn-color, e.xcept on the basal portion. 



This species, first made known as a Xortli American bird by Townsend, was called 

 by Audubon Hachman's Oyster Catcher. It had been ])rcviously described by Tallas 

 as belonging to Northeastern Asia and the surrounding islands. jNIr. Townsend men- 

 tions having found it abundant along the whole of our northwest coast, as well as 

 in Regent's Sound. The specimens mentioned by these authors were shot in June, 

 183(5. Other specimens have since been taken in Alaska, at San Miguel Island, 

 Sitka, Kadiak, in C^alifornia, and elsewhere. 



Mr. R. Browne (Ibis, 1868) states that this species, though not a connnon bird in 

 the southern portion of Vancouver Island, is quite abundant at the northern end, 

 and very plentiful about Queen Cliarlotte Islands. In March, 1866, while rowing 

 along the narrow sounds among these islands, he often met with it. It was by no 



