52 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES [Proc. 4th Ser. 



over the water at the San Benito Islands, Baja California, did 

 the same thing and was captured only with great difficulty. 



Aside from one instance, these oyster-catchers are always 

 noted feeding on the rocks from which they pick their food. 

 The food consists of small chitons, small crabs, sea-slugs, and 

 key-hole limpets, which are chiefly obtainable at low tide. 

 These creatures are all swallowed whole. 



Many times the presence of this species is made known, not 

 by the eye, but by the ear. As a rule they call when disturbed, 

 and when flying from place to place. The call is loud and 

 piercing, and consists of a series of piping notes given in 

 quick succession, and slightly resembles the call of the Wan- 

 dering Tattler. Single short staccato notes are also uttered 

 when a bird is approached. 



Three specimens, which showed signs of breeding, were 

 taken on Gardner-near-Hood on September 28, 1905. Sex- 

 ual organs of birds taken at Sappho Cove, Chatham, February 

 14, and at Academy Bay, Indefatigable Island, July 16, were 

 small. A female with medium-sized ovaries was taken on 

 Narborough on March 22. 



On February 1, two young ones scarcely able to fly were 

 taken on southeast Hood. They were feeding in company 

 with two adult birds, presumably their parents. On March 

 22 a young one of about the same age was taken on Narbor- 

 ough. Another was taken on South Seymour on July 26, and 

 still another on northeast James on August 4. 



While I was approaching a wounded one on northwest In- 

 defatigable, one of several Galapagos Hawks roosting in the 

 vicinity made a sudden swoop at it. Uttering a shrill cry, the 

 oyster-catcher sought safety by jumping into the water close 

 beside a sheltering rock. It is doubtful whether the oyster- 

 catchers are harassed by the hawks under normal conditions. 



Like the Wandering Tattler, but not to such a great extent, 

 this species has the habit of bobbing the posterior portion of 

 the body up and down. 



One bird taken had the outer covering of the upper mandi- 

 ble loose and apparently ready to shed, for it was very easily 

 detached, leaving a new, hard, and darker-colored bill beneath. 

 Another specimen was minus the greater part of its tongue, 

 having only about one quarter of an inch of it left. 



