TURNSTONES, OYSTER-CATCII KliS. 



177 



883* Arena>ria> interpres (/.inn.). TtuNHToNE; Rkant Bird; 

 rAi.ir<>-iiA< K. .1'/. in Kiiintnir. V \\\wT purtu, iiu'liidin).' wind's, flrikin^rly 

 viirii'triitfd with nit'cuis, Itliu'k, and wliitc; tiiil wliitc at the l)asi', a lilaik liaiul 

 ni'ar its Olid, mill tipjii'd with wliiti' ; tlimat and iiroast lilaok and wliito ; liolly 

 wliitc. Wii'trr jifuiiKKjf. — UppLT parts Mackisli, liDnU'ivd with hrc>wni>h 

 ((ray or asliy ; lower hack wliitc ; loinrcr upper tail-fuvcrts white, ^hnrter mies 

 hliuU ; tail as in the adult; throiit white, hreast hlaek niai^'ined with white, 

 belly white. I.., '.*•■>*> ; W., tion; Tar., •'.•->; B., l(Mt. 



A'"«f/»'.— Nearly eosiiiopDlitun ; breeds in the urctic regions, and in Amer- 

 ica iniirrates southward to I'litaironia. 



VVasliin(,'ton, rare and irre>,'ular T. V. Lon<,' Island, eoniinon T, V. May; 

 Auj(. and Sept. Sin>r Sinjr, A. V. 



J:'<f(fx, three to four, <'lay-eolor, blotched an<l .scrav.ietl with yruyisli brown, 

 1'60 X 115. 



Thi.^ strict i> Miuritiine species is fuimd iin^ly or in small flocks, 

 generally on the outer beaches, where it obtains its food by turning 

 over shells an \ pebbles in search of insects, crustaceans, etc. 



I 



Family H^ematopodid^. Oyster catchers. 



The Oyster-catchers number ten sjiecies, represented in most of tiic 

 warmer parts of the globe. Hut three specie.-^ ar(> found in North 

 America, and only one of these occurs in the Eastern State:. They are 

 strictly maritime birds, and resort to the outer bars and })eaches in 

 search of clams, mussels, etc., exposed l)y the tide. Their str'Mig bill 



is used as an oyster-knife to force open the shells of these bivalves. 



# 



286. Hsematopus pallialus T>/nm. Amkuk-an <)vsti:i{-(-at<-iikr. 

 Ad. — Head, neck, and upper breast ^^lossy black, hack and wiiiir-coverts olive- 

 brown, secondaries wliite, primaries fuscous, upper *ail-coverts white, base of 

 the tail white, end t'uscous, lower breast and belly white, /m. — Similar, but 

 head and neck blackish and upper parts more or less mari,'ined with bully. 

 L., 10-00; W., 10-r)0; Tar., '2-40 ; H., C40. 



lidiige. — Seaeoiusts of temperate and tropical America, from New Jersey 

 and Lower California to Patagonia; occasional or accidental on the Atlantiu 

 coast north to Massachusetts and (Jrand Meiian. 



Long Island, A. V. 



A'j/f/.f, three to four, buffy wliitc or creamy buff, rather evenly spotted and 

 blotched with chocolate, '2"20 x Vao. 



A not uncommon species from southern New Jersey southward; 

 conflned exclusively to the coast. It agrees in hab'*-^ with other mem- 

 bers of this small family. , 



Tho European OvsTER-cATfiiEit (285. Ilcemntopus ostraletjus) is of acci- 

 dental occurrence in Greenland, 

 13 



