THE OYSTER-CATCHER 
orange, and his feet and legs purplish-pink. Because 
of this likeness in colour to the Magpie, he is some- 
times called the Sea-pie.” 
When this bird is to be seen on the sea-shore, 
uttering a loud whistle, and then running on in a 
scared and flurried manner, one may safely guess that 
there are young ones hiding close by. These are 
pretty little creatures, beautifully mottled over with 
greyish-brown down. They are so fond of squatting 
flat among the stones that one might easily tread on 
them before seeing that they were there. They have 
a habit, too, of hiding their heads in the sand, like 
the Ostrich, and imagining that they cannot be seen. 
The mother is so afraid of harm coming to her 
babies that if she sees a stranger drawing near, she 
will make swift dashes at him, as if she would like to 
strike him, but dare not. 
The young Oyster-Catcher runs soon after he 
is hatched. His nest may seem to him a most 
delightful place, but it really does not look as if 
it were comfortable. It is simply a hollow on the 
ground, among the shingles by the sea-shore, 
generally lined with broken shells and tiny white 
stones. The mother will often make several nests 
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