gives notice to the seals of thé approach of the hunters, and
by that means frightens away.the gape?
The Oyster-eatchèr inhabits-all the coasts • of the southern
parts of Europe, and M. Temminck includes it among the
Birds of Japan.
. The beak is three'inches long, of a deep orange at thebase,
lighter in- colour towards the tip, greatly compressed^ andi
ending in a thin vertical edge ; the Mdesfemson ; thé eyelid
reddish orange, with a white Spot f e o w thé' the whole
ofthe head, the'neck all round, -the upper .part of the f e a s t ,
scapulars, inter-scapufers, smaller wing-coverts,- quiM-feathers,
and the distal half of the tail-feathers, black ; the back, -great
wing-coverts, part of the.-inner web of thé-primaries,, upper
tail-eoverts, the,basal half of fer-tail-feathei^thë lowértpart
ofthe breast, all the'Under-amface of the body^under^Mace
ofthe "wings, and the axillary plum^>|ure while ; thepgreuter
coverts forming' a, whitejrar on the 'wmgfeh^'Jegs .anfewM
purplish rflesh colour ; the'claws black.
. ' The whple length rather more than sixteen. ïnohtâl From
the carpal joint to the è â ^ f t h e wing, nine: in ^ s ^ n d three
quarters : the jirst-qudl-feather=abpnt,haif an inch loU^-than
the second, and thelongest in-the wing.-'
In the. wmter halfye&r adult birds-- a ^ S l w i y h
round the front of the jaeck.. I have -known this mark as-,
snmed early in-September, and börne-through the-w’iht|f^hnd
over,a great portiöïr of thé springs
Young birds of the year have the feathers of the back and
wings margined with brown;- and th g p d a not Vobtain a white
gorget during their first winter.
CRALLATORES. GRUIDÆ,
THE;COMMON CRANE.-;
Ardea grus, The Crane, fAm&Brit.lZoal. vol.ii. p. 7.
, , , , , , Mont. Ornith. Diet. : I
„ „ ,, Bewick, Brit. Birds,,vt>lf iB p . 2.
Grus 'cinerea, tèMrvmôn Crane, F lemI Brit. A ni'p. 97.
,, ,, ,, ij SelpV, Brit. Ornith. vol.' ii. p. 4.
,, ,, , ,, ,, J enyns, Brit. Vert. p. 185.
, ‘ * - j, •; ’Gould, Birds of Ëérapé, pt. vïi.
Grue cendrée, Te m m . Man. d’Oraitk. Vèl, ii. p. 557.