PIED OYSTER-CATCHER. 43 3 



The female sits on her eggs only during the night, or in 

 remarkably cold and rainy weather ; at other times the heat 

 of the sun and of the sand, which is sometimes great, renders 

 incubation unnecessary. But although this is the case, she is 

 not deficient in care or affection. She watches the spot with 

 an attachment, anxiety, and perseverance that are really sur- 

 prising, till the time arrives when her little offspring burst 

 their prisons, and follow the guiding voice of their mother. 

 When there is appearance of danger, they squat on the sand, 

 from which they are with difficulty distinguished, while the 

 parents make large circuits around the intruder, alighting 

 sometimes on this hand, sometimes on that, uttering repeated 

 cries, and practising the common affectionate stratagem of 

 counterfeited lameness, to allure him from their young. 



These birds run and fly with great vigour and velocity. 

 Their note is a loud and shrill whistling wheep-whe&p-wheo, 

 smartly uttered. A flock will often rise, descend, and wheel 

 in air with remarkable regularity, as if drilled to the business, 

 the glittering white of their wings at such times being very 

 conspicuous. They are more remarkable for this on their 

 first arrival in the spring. Some time ago, I received a 

 stuffed specimen of the oyster- catcher from a gentleman of 

 Boston, an experienced sportsman, who, nevertheless, was un- 

 acquainted with this bird. He informed me that two very 

 old men to whom it was shown called it a hagdel. He acids, 

 " It was shot from a flock, which was first discovered on the 

 beach near the entrance of Boston harbour. On the approach 

 of the gunner, they rose, and instantly formed in line like a 

 corps of troops, and advanced in perfect order, keeping well 

 dressed. They made a number of circuits in the air previous 

 to being shot at, but wheeled in line ; and the man who fired 

 into the flock observed that all their evolutions were like a 

 regularly-organised military company." 



The oyster-catcher will not only take to the water when 

 wounded, but can also swim and dive well. This fact I can 

 assert from my own observation, the exploits of one of them 



vol. 11. 2 e 



