THE OYSTER-CATCHER 
before she has one to her liking. Sometimes the 
eggs are just laid on the bare ground, and they 
are nearly always three in number, stone-coloured, 
and blotted and streaked with dark-brown. The 
mother arranges them carefully with their small ends 
inward. Knowing this, a bird-lover, who had no 
wish to steal the eggs, found a clutch and arranged 
them differently while Mrs. Oyster-Catcher was away 
from home. When she returned she at once 
replaced the eggs in the proper position. This trick 
was repeated three times, and always the mother 
would have her eggs as she wished them. Being an 
industrious bird, she brings up two families in one year. 
While she has young ones the mother gives a 
shrill piercing cry, which sounds like ‘‘ Whip ! whip ! 
whip ! ” 
The food of the Oyster-Catcher is not oysters, 
though one might suppose so from the name. He' 
lives on small shell-fish, and worms that he finds on 
the wet sand. He has a particularly powerful wedge- 
shaped bill, with which he can strike limpets from 
rocks. He even opens mussels, putting his bill 
between the two shells. Sometimes he will wade in 
shallow water and catch small fish. 
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