. The birds of California : a complete, scientific and popular account of the 580 species and subspecies of birds found in the state. Birds; Birds. The Black Oyster-catcher looking very big and bold. Then he will draw his head in and settle his body lower on the legs and sneak off, glancing furtively over his shoulder to see if his movements are being shadowed. Without question he is trying to develop the kind and degree of our interest. If the female was sitting upon eggs she slipped away too soon to be caught at home, and she spends the entire time of our stay arranging elaborate pantomines
. The birds of California : a complete, scientific and popular account of the 580 species and subspecies of birds found in the state. Birds; Birds. The Black Oyster-catcher looking very big and bold. Then he will draw his head in and settle his body lower on the legs and sneak off, glancing furtively over his shoulder to see if his movements are being shadowed. Without question he is trying to develop the kind and degree of our interest. If the female was sitting upon eggs she slipped away too soon to be caught at home, and she spends the entire time of our stay arranging elaborate pantomines for our misguidance. Now she bends with quivering wing and dips her head up and down, as though inviting attention to her charming nestlings. "Ar'n't they darlings?" (She means a heap of mussel shells just before her eyes). Or again she settles down upon a barnacle-covered rock and broods virtuously—on barnacles. And if, by any accident, one does become possessed of the real secret, it is great sport to devise a stealthy return and to watch the bird steal away from the eggs, slowly, painfully, in abject humiliation, hoping against hope that she is eluding observation, until a safe distance is reached. When the game is "all off" the birds cause the rocks to resound with their strident cries, and if there are neighbors, these join forces with the im- mediately besieged ones until our ears 1350 A HARD CRADLE NEST OF BLACK OYSTERCATCHER ON DESTRUCTION ISLAND Photo by the Author. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Dawson, William Leon, 1873-1928; Dickey, Donald R. (Donald Ryder), 1887-1932; Pierce, Wright M; Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953; Brooks, Allan, 1869-1946. San Diego ; Los Angeles ; San Francisco : South Moulton Company
Size: 1940px × 1288px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1923
