BACHMAN'S OYSTER-CATCHER. 245 



brownish-black. The general colour of the plumage is blackish-brown, 

 the feathers on the upper part strongly tinged with grey, especially the 

 secondary quills ; the feathers of the back edged with light brown, the 

 secondary coverts tipped with brownish- white. The feathers on the 

 sides under the wing, the axillaries, and some of the lower wing-coverts, 

 white with the centre dusky. 



Length to end of tail 48 inches ; bill along the ridge 4 ; wing from 

 flexure 32 ; tail 16 ; tarsus 4 ; middle toe 4, its claw 1^%. 



BACHMAN'S OYSTER-CATCHER. 



Hmmatopus Bacumani. 



PLATE CCCCXXVII. Male. 



According to my friend Dr Townsend, this species is abundant 

 along the whole of the north-west coast of America, as well as in Re- 

 gent's Sound, but is rarely seen on the shores within Cape Disappoint- 

 ment. The specimen sent to me by him is ticketed as a male, shot in 

 June 1836 ; but as in this genus there is no difference as to colour be- 

 tween the male and the female, it may be supposed that in this case 

 the female differs only in being somewhat smaller. 



The discovery of two new species is very remarkable, especially 

 when it is seen by the figures given in this plate, compared with the 

 other, that not one of our three Oyster-catchers resembles the Hcema- 

 topus Ostralegus of Europe, which for a long time was supposed to exist 

 in America, on account of the figiu-e given of this latter bird by Wilson, 

 who must have taken it from a stuffed Em-opean specimen in Peale's 

 Museum in Philadelphia. Whether this be the case or not, it is 

 pretty certain that no such bird as Wilson has represented has as yet 

 been observed in any part of North America, although some writers 

 have gone so far as to say so, without however offering any evidence. 



H^MATOPUS Bachmani. 



Male. Plate CCCCXXVII. Fig. 1. 



Bill long, slender but strong, straight, higher than broad at the 

 base, towards the end extremely compressed, terminating in a very thin 



