BRITISH BIRDS 



they worked their way along the edge of the sea, probing and searching the wet 

 shingle for their food. 



The Turnstone breeds in Northern Europe and the lands within the Arctic 

 Circle, from Northern Siberia to the Arctic regions of North America. In winter 

 it migrates to the warmer shores of Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, and the 

 countries of the Pacific Ocean, and, according to Gould, " it inhabits the sea-shores 

 of every part of the globe." 



The nest, placed on the shore, near salt-water, consists of a slight hollow scantily 

 lined with herbage, and generally sheltered by a stone or low bush. The four eggs 

 are greenish-grey in ground-colour, blotched and spotted with brown and grey. In 

 our islands this species is mostly found on rocky shores or beaches of shingle, and 

 avoids the bare sands and mud-flats. Running hither and thither among the stones 

 and sea-weed, it seeks the small crustaceans and other marine animals which com- 

 pose its food, deftly turning over the pebbles in its search or exploring likely 

 crevices where its prey may be concealed. Their long and pointed wings enable 

 them to fly with great power and speed, when the pure white of their rumps and 

 underparts show conspicuously. 



The usual cry is a shrill clear whistle, but, according to Macgillivray, they 

 occasionally utter a mellow note. The female is less richly coloured than the male, 

 and is said by Howard Saunders to be a trifle larger. 



THE OYSTER-CATCHER. 



Hcematopus ostralegus, Linnaeus. 

 Plate 64. 



The Oyster-Catcher or Sea-pie is a common bird, inhabiting the greater part of 

 the British coasts throughout the year, where it nests on the sand dunes and stony 

 beaches, or higher up on the lichen-covered rocks, among tufts of flowering thrift. 



On the eastern side of Scotland, many pairs leave the sea at the beginning of the 

 breeding season and make their way up the larger streams and rivers, laying their 

 eggs among the sand and shingle of the river-beds, or by the side of lochs far inland, 

 sometimes at a considerable elevation. 



This species has a wide range over Europe and Asia, breeding as far north as 

 the Arctic Circle, and visiting the Mediterranean coasts in winter, when its migra- 

 tions extend to Africa, North-west India, and Ceylon. 



The three or occasionally four eggs, deposited not far above high-water mark, 



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