^ 



PIED OYSTER-CATCHER. 

 HMMATOPUS OSTRALEGUS. 

 [Plate LXIV.— Fig. 2.] 



JLrct. Zool.Xo. 406. —Lath. Syn. III,]). 219.— Catesby,!, 85.-— Bewick, II, 23.— Peale's Museum^ 



^"o. 4258. 



THIS singular species, although nowhere numerous, inhabits 

 almost every sea shore, both on the new and old continent, but is 

 never found inland. It is the only one of its genus hitherto dis- 

 covered, and from the conformation of some of its parts one might 

 almost be led by fancy to suppose, that it had borrowed the eye 

 of the Pheasant, the legs and feet of the Bustard, and the bill of 

 the Woodpecker. 



The Oyster-catcher frequents the sandy sea beach of New 

 Jersey, and other parts of our Atlantic coast in summer, in small 

 parties of two or three pairs together. They are extremely shy, 

 and, except about the season of breeding, will seldom permit a 

 person to approach within gun shot. They walk along the shore 

 in a watchful stately manner, at times probing it with their long 

 wedge-like bills in search of small shell-fish. This appears evi- 

 dent on examining the hard sands where they usually resort, which 

 are found thickly perforated with oblong holes two or three inches 

 in depth. The small crabs called /rfG?/<?r^, that burrow in the mud 

 at the bottom of inlets, are frequently the prey of the Oyster- 

 catcher; as are muscles, spout-fish, and a variety of other shell- 

 fish and sea insects with which those shores abound. 



The principal food, however, of this bird, according to Eu- 

 ropean writers, and that from which it derives its name, is the 

 oyster, which it is said to watch for, and snatch suddenly from the 



