. Feathered game of the Northeast . All along the eastern shores of the twoAmericas this bird is found, northward to Lab-rador or farther in the summer months, andwintering from the Middle Atlantic States toand beyond the tropics, far down the SouthAmerican coast. It is also found on the Pacificside of the continents, but the more commonspecies there is the Black Oyster Catcher. The Oyster Catchers bill is remarkably stoutand well fitted for its purpose, that is, for driv-ing into sea urchins, knocking wrinklesoff the rocks and burrowing into the sand forrazor fish and small crabs, for he eats
. Feathered game of the Northeast . All along the eastern shores of the twoAmericas this bird is found, northward to Lab-rador or farther in the summer months, andwintering from the Middle Atlantic States toand beyond the tropics, far down the SouthAmerican coast. It is also found on the Pacificside of the continents, but the more commonspecies there is the Black Oyster Catcher. The Oyster Catchers bill is remarkably stoutand well fitted for its purpose, that is, for driv-ing into sea urchins, knocking wrinklesoff the rocks and burrowing into the sand forrazor fish and small crabs, for he eats any ofthe marine shellfish which he can capture. The bird is large and showy, and as it be-hooves him for his safetys sake, wary in pro-portion as he looms above his shore-bird neigh-bors. Scarcely to be approached at anyseason, few are captured and they are fairlyearned by good and careful work. Decoys andenticing whistlings avail naught, for the birdis either unsocial or aristocratic and well sat-isfied with his own society. a^f. < u Oi CO o AMERICAN OYSTER CATCHER 93 The coloring of this species is arranged insolid masses and is sharply contrasted. Thebill is long and heavy, chisel pointed, deepest ata point one-third of its length from the head,and in color bright red, growing orange yellowat the tip. Head, neck and fore breast and wings dusky brown. The rumpmainly like the back, but on the edges of thetail coverts growing white, this color also show-ing on the bases of the tail feathers, and thesegoing through the shades of brown and duskyto jet black at the tips. Wings like the backin color, with a crossbar of white formed by theends of the greater coverts and some of thesecondaries. Linings of the wings and entireunder parts white. Eyes red with a circle oforange about them. Feet and legs stout, of apale pinkish color. The length of this speciesvaries from seventeen to twenty inches, and itsspread of wings between thirty-three and thir-ty-five inches.
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectgameandgamebirds
