CHAPTER XIII 



SHORE-BIRD SHOOTING {CONTINUED) 



THE OYSTER-CATCHERS 



(Hcsmatopodidtz) 



A dozen species of large, strange-looking birds, 

 with brightly colored, wedge-shaped bills, compose 

 this family. Shy and solitary in their habits, they 

 range over the beaches of most of the world, the 

 American species never occurring far from the 

 seacoast. The most peculiar character of these 

 birds is the bill, and by this they can be recog- 

 nized at once. It is about twice as long as the 

 head, and straight, high, flattened on the sides and 

 pointed, thus resembling a wedge, and is bright 

 red or orange in color ; the nostrils are large and 

 set in a deep hollow. The eyes are either red or 

 yellow, and the legs heavy and covered with small 

 hexagonal scales. The oyster-catchers have no hind 

 toe. Their cry is loud and rather harsh ; and most 

 of them breed on some slight elevation in the sand 

 of the ocean beaches. Of the four species found 

 in North America, three are confined to this con- 

 tinent, only one of them occurring on the Atlantic 

 Coast, and one is a straggler from Europe. 



489 



