Family CHARADRIIDyE. Genus H^matopus. 



Subfamily Totanin.e. 



COMMON OYSTERCATCHER. 



H^MATOPUS OSTRALEGUS— Z/;^««z^j-. 



Geographical Distribution.— -ffnV^V/^.- Breeds in all suitable 

 localities north of Yorkshire and Lancashire, round the entire 

 coast line of Scotland and the adjacent islands, even extending to 

 St. Kilda, where I have taken its eggs. Equally widely dispersed 

 round the Irish coasts. Breeds also on shores of inland lochs and 

 banks of large rivers in Scotland. During winter it is widely dis- 

 persed on all our coasts, except in extreme northern districts, 

 where it is only a bird of summer. Foreign : West Palaearctic 

 region. Chiefly a coast bird in the west, but east of E. long. 40° it 

 only breeds on the shores of lakes and the banks of rivers. Breeds 

 on the coasts of North-western Europe, round to the White Sea; 

 thence it becomes an inland species, frequenting the rivers Volga, 

 Kama, Petchora, and Obb. Summer visitor only to the shores of 

 the Baltic, but resident on the coasts of Germany and France. 

 Passes the Mediterranean basin on migration, but a few remain 

 to breed, and a few remain to winter in the Rhone delta and 

 along the Adriatic coast. Resident in the Caucasus, but only a 

 summer visitor to the Don, the Volga, the waters of West Siberia 

 and Turkestan. Winters on the Mekran coast, west coast of 

 India, south to Ceylon, and on both coasts of Africa, to Senegam- 

 bia on the west, and to Mozambique on the east. 



Allied Forms. — Hcsmalopus osculans, an inhabitant of the 

 coasts of North China, Japan, the mouth of the Amoor, and thence 

 round the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk to Kamtschatka in 

 summer; in winter of the coasts of South China, abnormally 

 wandering across country to Burma. Of doubtful specific rank ; 



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