﻿360 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  or 
  in 
  pairs 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  shore 
  of 
  Long 
  Island 
  between 
  Ra^'nor 
  South 
  and 
  

   Babylon. 
  Our 
  onh- 
  definite 
  records 
  are 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  New 
  York 
  harbor, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  May 
  28, 
  1877. 
  Robert 
  Lawrence, 
  N. 
  O. 
  C. 
  Bui. 
  5:117 
  

  

  Pouquogue, 
  L. 
  I. 
  Mar. 
  9, 
  1880. 
  Dutcher, 
  Auk, 
  10: 
  272 
  

  

  Greenport, 
  L. 
  I. 
  June 
  2, 
  1882. 
  Dutcher, 
  Auk, 
  3 
  : 
  439 
  

  

  Long 
  Island, 
  Lawrence 
  Collection 
  3166. 
  Am. 
  Mus. 
  Nat. 
  Hist. 
  

  

  Also 
  a 
  specimen 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  Long 
  Island 
  Historical 
  Society, 
  from 
  Long 
  Island 
  

  

  The 
  Oyster- 
  catcher 
  is 
  more 
  strictly 
  a 
  maritime 
  species 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  

   of 
  our 
  shore 
  birds 
  and 
  nearly 
  rivals 
  the 
  Sickle-bill 
  curlew 
  in 
  size, 
  but 
  is 
  not 
  

   held 
  in 
  great 
  esteem 
  as 
  a 
  game 
  bird. 
  They 
  frequent 
  the 
  bars 
  and 
  beaches, 
  

   feeding 
  on 
  marine 
  insects, 
  small 
  crabs 
  and 
  bivalves 
  which 
  their 
  knifelike 
  

   bill 
  is 
  admirabl}' 
  fitted 
  to 
  open. 
  

  

  Order 
  G-ALLINJ^E 
  

  

  Gallinaceous 
  birds 
  

  

  This 
  order 
  (Galliformes, 
  Sharpe's 
  Hand-List) 
  is 
  well 
  exemplified 
  by 
  

   the 
  common 
  bam}'ard 
  fowl. 
  The 
  bill 
  is 
  short, 
  stout 
  and 
  convex, 
  the 
  tip 
  

   vaulted 
  and 
  obtuse, 
  its 
  texture 
  homy 
  throughout, 
  the 
  nasal 
  fossae 
  covered 
  

   b)' 
  feathers 
  or 
  scales, 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  mandible 
  overreaching 
  the 
  

   lower, 
  the 
  ridge 
  of 
  the 
  culmen 
  high 
  and 
  dividing 
  the 
  frontal 
  feathers. 
  The 
  

   legs 
  are 
  stout 
  and 
  moderately 
  long, 
  feathered 
  to 
  the 
  heel 
  or 
  farther 
  in 
  some 
  

   families, 
  the 
  tarsus 
  scutellate 
  or 
  feathered, 
  the 
  front 
  toes 
  webbed 
  at 
  the 
  

   base, 
  the 
  hallux 
  elevated 
  and 
  rather 
  small 
  except 
  in 
  guans 
  or 
  megapodes. 
  

   The 
  wings 
  are 
  short, 
  rounded, 
  arched 
  and 
  strong. 
  Cranium 
  small. 
  Body 
  

   heavy. 
  Plumage 
  aftershafted. 
  Fifth 
  cubital 
  present. 
  Palate 
  schizog- 
  

   nathous. 
  Nasals 
  holorhinal. 
  Cervicals 
  16. 
  Sternum 
  deeply 
  two-notched. 
  

   Furculum 
  or 
  "wishbone" 
  with 
  a 
  h3'pocleidium. 
  Pectoral 
  muscles 
  three, 
  

   the 
  second 
  ver}^ 
  large. 
  Coeca 
  long. 
  Crop 
  large. 
  Gizzard 
  very 
  muscular. 
  

   Gall 
  bladder 
  present. 
  Physiological 
  nature 
  praecocial 
  and 
  ptilopaedic. 
  

   Eggs 
  mmierous 
  and 
  large. 
  Mating 
  habits 
  polygamous. 
  Feeding 
  habits 
  

   chicfl}' 
  terrestrial 
  and 
  largel}^ 
  rasorial. 
  Flesh 
  mostly 
  edible, 
  and 
  light- 
  

   colored 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  families. 
  This 
  order 
  includes 
  the 
  megapodes 
  (28 
  spe- 
  

   cies) 
  of 
  Poh'nesia, 
  etc.; 
  the 
  guans 
  and 
  curassow^s 
  (59 
  species) 
  of 
  tropical 
  

  

  