THE ORNITHOLOGISTS’ AND OOLOGISTS’ SEMI-ANNUAL. 13 
THE AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER. 
Hematopus palliatus. 
BY W. W. WORTHINGTON. 
Well do I remember the first specimen of this wary bird I ever 
relieved of his skin. I was hunting along the South Carolina coast, 
and by carefully sculling my little skiff I was able to approach near 
enough to risk a long shot. At 
the report of my gun he tried to 
rise, but a chance shot had tipped 
one wirg and his only chance of 
escape was by running. 
Quickly grounding my skiff, I 
jumped out and started in hot 
= pursuit ; but I was encumbered 
AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER. with my heavy boots, and how he 
could run! He made directly for a small creek and reached the wa- 
ter about six feet ahead. In I plunged and was just about to grasp 
him, when he dove and I only captured him by plunging my arm in 
nearly to the shoulder ; but I had him safely in my grasp at last, and 
as I squeezed the life owt of him 1 admired his black head, neck, tail 
and wing tips, brown back, white ramp and under parts and bright 
red bill, (which is a veritable oyster knife) and also his sharp yellow 
eye. 
These birds are found throughout the year along the South Alantic 
coast and are very shy and difficult to obtain. ‘They nest on the out- 
er beaches, simply scratching a hollow in the sand in which the eggs 
are deposited—in Georgia about the middle of April. Further north 
they are laid a little later. Maynard, in “Birds of Eastern N. A.” 
says : “they lay about June 6th,” which is no further from the truth 
than many other statements in the same volume. 
Of two sets handled by myself the past week, the first, taken April 
1gth, was about one-fourth incubated. The other set, taken the zoth, 
had two of the three eggs picked. The eggs have a pale drab ground, 
with dark brown spots, some obscured bythe ground color. Aver- 
age Size, 2,.25X1.50. 
