568 



margined with white, and there is an elongated white spot on the centre of the terminal portion 

 of the feather ; larger wing-coverts and some of the inner secondaries white, forming a broad white 

 patch across the wing, rest of the wing black; tail white on the basal, and black on the terminal 

 portion ; rump, upper tail-coverts, entire underparts, under wing-coverts, and axillaries pure white ; 

 bill orange-red at the base, becoming yellow towards the tip ; iris rich reddish ; edge of the eyelid 

 orange-red; legs rich flesh-colour with a purplish rose tinge. Total length about 16 inches, culmen 

 2 - 85, wing 96, tail 4 - 4, tarsus 19. 



Adult Female (Bohuslan, 8th April). Resembles the male. 



Adult in luinter. Differs from the summer plumage only in having a white patch on the throat ; and the 

 white spot under the eye is rather larger. 



Young in autumn dress. Differs from the adult in having the black portions of the plumage duller in colour; 

 and the white mark on the throat is much larger, and extended so as nearly to form a ring round the 

 neck ; bill and legs duller in coloration than in the adult. 



Young in down (Bohuslan, 22nd June). Head, neck, and upper parts generally sooty greyish, the down 

 tipped with dusty buff, and variegated, especially on the crown and back, with black ; underparts below 

 the throat white. 



The Oystercatcher is found over almost the whole of the Palsearctic Region, ranging in winter 

 tolerably far down the African coast ; and in Asia it is also found as far south as Ceylon. 



In Europe it is very generally distributed, but breeds in the northern districts, retiring 

 southward during the cold season. With us in Great Britain it is found on almost all parts of 

 the coast, but breeds chiefly in the northern districts. Mr. C. A. More states (Ibis, 1865, p. 432) 

 that " in the south of England it is comparatively rare in summer ; and though it breeds regularly 

 in Cornwall and Devon, a few pairs only occur along the south coast; nor is it much more 

 numerous on the eastern side of England." In Norfolk it used formerly, Mr. Stevenson says, to 

 be abundant enough in the breeding-season on the northern shores of the county, but can now 

 only be claimed as a resident through some few scattered pairs still lingering in one or two of the 

 wildest and most retired of their former haunts. 



In Scotland it breeds in suitable localities on most parts of the coast, and sometimes tolerably 

 far inland. In Sutherlandshire it is, Mr. Harvie Brown says, very numerous. On the west coast 

 it never comes inland to breed, but frequents all the sea-lochs, and especially the Badcall Islands. 

 It breeds on Loch Shin, and also in the north. According to Dr. Saxby it is merely a summer 

 visitant to Shetland, arriving in March and leaving again in September. 



In Ireland it is, Thompson writes, common round the coast, and permanently resident. 



It only visits Greenland as an occasional and rare visitant. Professor Bernhardt says (Ibis, 

 1861, p. 9) that he has seen three specimens from there — one sent in 1847 from Julianeshaab, 

 another in 1851 from Godthaab, both being in the Copenhagen Museum, and he saw a third in 

 a collection of bird-skins sent from Nenortalik. In Iceland it is, Professor Newton says, " more 

 common in the south than in the north. Faber considered it to be resident throughout the year ; 

 for it remains in large flocks during the winter in the south. It is, of course, most abundant on 

 the sea-coast ; but Herr Preyer met with it on some of the inland waters." 



