AMERICAN OYSTER-CATCHER
286. Hæmatopus palliatus. 19 in.
Bill very long, heavy, compressed, and thin and chisel-like at the tip. Bill and eye, red; legs flesh color. These large, awkward looking birds are not scarce on the South Atlantic coast, where they are met with in pairs or small companies. They run with great swiftness, or walk sedately along the beaches and marshes gathering insects and fiddler crabs, of which they are very fond. They are said to have got their name from the habit of eating oysters when they found them with the shell open, a practice that would be extremely hazardous for them to undertake, as these shellfish close their two valves very quickly and would be apt to catch the bird. Owing to their large size they are frequently shot at and, consequently, are usually shy.
Nest.—A depression in the sand; the two or three eggs are buffy, spotted with blackish-brown (2.20 × 1.50); May.
Range.—Breeds on the coast north to Virginia; later may stray to Nova Scotia. Winters south of the U. S.
