. A history of British birds . ardsthe other leg, not backwards as in most other birds. The whole length of the bird is nine inches and a the carpal joint to the end of the wing, six inches ;the first quill-feather a little longer than the second, andthe longest in the wing. The sexes do not differ much in plumage; but in winterthe ferruginous portions of the plumage are not so rich incolour, and the legs and feet are much paler. In young birds of the year the whole of the plumage ofthe upper surface of the body, and round the throat in front,is dull brownish-black; the feathers of t
. A history of British birds . ardsthe other leg, not backwards as in most other birds. The whole length of the bird is nine inches and a the carpal joint to the end of the wing, six inches ;the first quill-feather a little longer than the second, andthe longest in the wing. The sexes do not differ much in plumage; but in winterthe ferruginous portions of the plumage are not so rich incolour, and the legs and feet are much paler. In young birds of the year the whole of the plumage ofthe upper surface of the body, and round the throat in front,is dull brownish-black; the feathers of the body edged withyellowish-white ; those of the wing-coverts and tertials edgedwith reddish buff-colour ; the chin, breast, belly, and undertail-coverts, white; the legs and toes pale orange, almostflesh-colour. The young in down is dark grey above, spotted withblack, a narrow black band from the crown to the forehead,and another from the gape to the eye; the underpartsmerging from greyish to white. ^- ~ ^.i^ H^MATOPUS OSTRALEGUS, LinnSBUS.* THE OYSTER-CATCHER, OR SEA-PIE. Hcsmatopus ostralegiis. H^MATOPUS, Linnceusf.—Beak longer than the head, straight, strong, thepoint much compressed, forming a wedge ; culmen of the anterior part slightlyconvex ; upper mandible with a broad lateral groove, extending one-half thelength of the bill; mandibles nearly equal in size and length, with the thin endstruncated. Nostrils basal, lateral, linear, pierced in the membrane of themandibular groove. Legs of moderate length, naked for a short space above thetarsal joint ; tarsi strong. Feet with three toes only, all directed forward,united at their base by a membrane; claws strong, broad, not very muchpointed. * Jlceniaiopus Oslraler/us, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. Ed. 12, i. p. 257 (17G6).t loc. cit. OYSTER-CATCHER, 295 The Oystek-Catcher is well known on the shores ofGreat Britain and Ireland. It appears to prefer sandy baysand wide inlets bounded with banks of shingl
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Keywords: ., bookauthorsaun, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds
