The Zoologist — November, 1874. 4215 



16th of June, observing a female turnstoue behaving very suspiciously, 

 I searched most minutely among the grassy depressions and hollows for 

 more than two hours, and was wandering almost in despair upon the gravelly 

 and stony edge which had been washed bare by the winter's spray, when to 

 my delight there lay three eggs in a hollow among the stones, slightly 

 sheltered from the north by a flattened fragment which partly overhung 

 them. The hollow, which had evidently been artificially formed, was scantily 

 lined with dry grass, and measured a little less than five inches across. 

 I was rather surprised that the bird displayed no anxiety ; possibly she was 

 watching me from some concealed position, and would have been bolder had 

 all four eggs been laid and incubation commenced ; but at any rate I saw 

 nothing of her for about an hour previously to my discovery of the treasure. 

 Although I had not the smallest doubt that the eggs were turnstone's, — 

 indeed they could have been nothing else, — I thought it best to take one 

 egg, intending to return cautiously next evening, and perhaps see the bird 

 leave the nest. However, early in the morning a man came with the very 

 two eggs to claim the reward I had offered, and although he seemed much 

 aggrieved by the charge, T am quite sure the rascal had been watching me. 

 Two of the eggs were a good deal lilie the figure in Mr. Hewitson's work, 

 but the ground colour of the third was of a brighter green ; all were blotched 

 with umber-brown, reddish brown and purplish gray, the markings of the 

 latter colour being smallest. The average length was one inch and six lines, 

 the breadth one inch two lines." — P. 171. 



To myself, who have uever witnessed the feeding habits of the 

 oystercatcher, it has always been a puzzle how the bird could 

 detach the limpets from the rock ; I never supposed that the 

 oystercatcher fed on oysters, and Dr. Saxby has done nothing to 

 remove the impression that the name is simply the result of a fable. 

 In my occasional visits to the sea-shore I have never seen oysters 

 exposed to the gaze of an oystercatcher, or to my own gaze either ; 

 but limpets are certainly so exposed, and as certainly fall a prey to 

 this ingenious bird. Whoever has collected either limpets or sea 

 anemones for an aquarium must have discovered the fallacy of 

 "hammers and mallets and chisels lipped with cold steel." If you 

 would remove these creatures from the rocks without injury, you 

 must take them by surprise, and therefore at a disadvantage; 

 a sudden tap or push is sufficient, but it must be rapid and decided, 

 otherwise the intended victim tightens himself to the rock and bids 

 you defiance. The oystercatcher knows all this, and is far more 

 expert than you can possibly be in carrying the limpet's citadel by 

 storm J " nevertheless," and now I am quoting Dr. Saxby, — 



