rp^EMATOPUrg FULIGINOSyS, Gould.
\ . S o o M tO j s t e ^ c a t e h e r .
Hamatopus fuliginosus, Gouw^mProc. of Zool. Soc.
'Mur-roo-wa-da-reeI A b ^ i ^ e ^ f ^Qpi’E|fingtonl -^v
Black Oyst^-catgh^J^^cs^sJis'Qi New^Sjju!^^^leSj |^an Diemen’s Land, arid Port Essipgton.
A fter a careful examination and comparison of ipe Black Oyster-catclicrs of the Cape of Good Hope, Cape
Horn and Australia, I find them tq differ so miuchtfi%n' eacli other, that I can come to no other conclusion
than that they are soj^anydjstinct species, and hence I have been indofcej: to characterize the Australian
lDird^^^^t^ " appellatfon 6f ^ l i ^ i n o s j i § , colouring« o f its^plumage. JH
flm Diemen’s Land, the islands in Bass’^^^^^mnd the southern coast of the Australian continent
life g fe a l strongholds of this species. Like its neaP aU^^^^^^Sll^vabundant wherever
sMfaa^n^p^m^-sufted to its habits and economy; low sandy beaches at the mouths ofHnyers, spits of land
running into the sea and small islands being i|^^|Qhytmlpl^es;dj|"abode | and so universally^® dispersed,
ns I chAvdgmntn d i^ lSl^ p rard to the H. longirostris, it is quite unnecessary to point out particular
wlierd it' m iy In, fact, every small island and every yard of the coasts pflthecoun tries I
have mentioned are more or less visited-by it, It3i^ s^& l^ s1 iir0 n ,aj^Mnecies^ breeding -in the places of
||s^u&ual resont'^'p^^^^^^^® in this respect.takes place, i t is that, for U l i f l i i o f safety and freedom
fronL tptrWon, the bird feayes the main shore and betakes itself fepAsmall rocky islands, such as those in
P a s s ’s Straits, where, exempt from anhbvnric^^fsbl^^mnW^it-lmavJ^F it^lMooQ in safety.
- The present spe^^^^a],^pCbpilt and powerful bird, hut from the sombre colourlngbfits.plumage it is
r f ^ ^ M u o u s and attractive as the^hpenlire^J^^y§t^-^at^uey. j_ ’r-
Its eggs are two in number ; two inches and three quarters long by Ope and threemU^ers broad, o f a
light stone-colpur', Blbrcl^H all with large irregular markings of jdark brown, some of which appear as
i f beneath .the surfaeejand o f a purplish hue.
It becomes exceedingly clamorous if its nest be intruded upon, frequently uttering a loud shrill call while
flying backwards an^for^rds ^
The: ehliil plumage of a uniform sppf^ hM ^ '^ ghlly glossed on the neck and under surface with green;
bill and eyelash extr^My rifeh orange-yellow ; irides red ; legs and-feej? •|||lf^l|0^ g l f ^
Th^Mate reprpsents^a male about the natural size.