THE OYSTER CATCHER. 
103 
et |ged with white ; all the under parts of the body are 
'lute. It is found in many parts of both continents, and 
1S y.'-' Y plentiful on the coasts of Lancashire and Cornwall. 
A he Hinged Plover is seven inches and a half long, 
i°ugh it weighs two ounces; the bill is half an inch long 
ai yl from it to the eyes runs a black line. The upper part 
. the neck is encircled with a white collar, the lower part 
'j’ltli a black one. The back and wings are light brown, 
the b r east and belly are white, the legs yellow. They fre- 
T'ent our shores in summer, and are sometimes known by 
1 le 'lame of the Sea Lark. 
j fhe Oyster Catcher is about the size of a crow, and 
' Ve ll known on our coasts under the name of the Sea-pie. 
.j!* fill is three incites in length, and of an orange colour. 
c 10 bead, neck, back, anil quills are black, except a cres- 
a ° nt °f white, which runs across the throat; the belly, rump 
ta' I ° reiltor wing coverts are also white, and the tip of the 
black. It receives its name from its feeding upon shell 
a s b and particularly oysters, which when it observes on 
occasion gaping wide enough for the insertion of its 
t .‘ ’ u thrusts it in, and without further ceremony deprives 
' e . shell of its inhabitant. We know of but one species, 
'jj-'h is diffused over all quarters of the globe. 
0 j hese five last genera have a strong affinity with each 
tli ! Gr ’ iln( l a ll are distinguished by similar manners. As 
an? Ure usu ally employed rather in running than in flying, 
t| , , as their food lies entirely upon the ground, and not on 
^ 01 ln tl ,e ah', so they run with great swiftness for their 
as e ’ a,1 <l the length of their legs assists their velocity. But 
the' 0 set 'b* n g their food, they are often obliged to change 
t Va ' r s tation, so also they are equally swift of wing, and 
j Ve !’ 8e immense tracts of country without much fatigue, 
has been thought by some, that a 
part of these birds 
ari( f‘ u Pon an oily slime, found in the bottoms of ditches 
t], ?1 weedy pools; but later discoveries liave shewn, 
111 these places, they hunt for the caterpillars, worms, 
insects. The long billed birds suck up worms and 
*11 Si 
pic| CtS f ‘° m tlle bottom ; those furnished with shorter bills 
do\v SUc b insects as lie nearer the surface of the mea- 
A °u a rnong the sands on the sea shore. 
p] ac , S a ' this kindlive entirely in waters, and among watery 
Comm’ ,lle y see m provided by nature with a warmth of 
by u htion to fit them for that cold element. They reside, 
grate ? ICe ’ .’ n l be coldest climates ; and, as other birds mt~ 
here in our summer, their migrations hither are mostly 
