H^MATOPUS LEUCOPUS 123 



soft sunlight of these high latitudes. They run about at a great 

 pace, seeming quite to flit over the ground. The flight is 

 dashing, headlong, and twisting — difficult to follow with the eye 

 — and usually they negotiate a considerable distance before 

 alighting again. 



HiEMATOPUS LEUCOPUS (Lesson et Garnot) 



Ostralega leUCOpUS, Lesson et Garnot, Voy. " Ooquille,''' i, p. 721, 

 1826. 



HsematopUS lenCOpUS, Abbott, ibis, p. 156, 1861 ; Oustalet, Miss. 

 8ci. Cap Horn, Ois., p. 121, 1891 ; Sharpe, Gat. Birds Brit. Mus., xxiv, 

 p. 118, 1896 ; Oates, Gat. Birds' Eggs Brit. Mus., ii, p. 6, 1902. 



Habitat. — Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego ; the Falkland Islands. 



? , Useless Bay Settlement, 2nd Sept. ; eggs, San Sebastian Settlement, 

 22nd Oct., 1904. 



Iris and eyelids — orange ; bill — scarlet ; legs and feet — flesh-colour. 



The Pied Oyster-catcher is distinguished by Dr. Sharpe 

 from the British H. ostralegus and its allies by its black lower 

 back and rump, the upper tail-coverts and base of tail being 

 white ; the greater part of the under wing- coverts being black ; 

 and primaries entirely black, without any white along the shaft 

 or on the inner web. 



Practically all expeditions record it, with the exception of 

 Darwin and Durnford. 



Unlike H. ater, I found the Pied Oyster -catcher extremely 

 common, frequenting the sea shore in winter and the inland fresh- 

 water lagoons and grass flats in spring and summer. Previous 

 observers do not mention its being found inland. On arrival in 

 the island in August, I remarked two pairs on the fresh -water 

 lagoons at the head of Useless Bay. They were then so wild as 

 to be almost unapproachable. Later, when the weather became 

 warmer, they appeared in vast numbers and were exceedingly 



