The gullet of this species is capable of being considerably distended.
When your finger is introduced into it, it passes with ease into a sort of
crop, where the food is apparently prepared before entering the gizzard,
which is rather muscular. How this bird disposes of the hard particles
of shells, pebbles, and other matters, with which its food is mixed, is beyond
my comprehension, and one which I gladly leave for your solution.
Their flesh is dark, tough, and unfit for eating, unless in cases of extreme
necessity.
The females and young are dark olive-brown above, like the males,
but of a browner shade. I have represented a male bird. I have never
met with the European Oyster-catcher, Htematopus Ostralegus, in any
part of the United States, and, although I cannot of course aver that it
does not occur there, I believe that the American or Mantled Oystercatcher
has been confounded with it by WILSON and others. Indeed,
the figure given by WILSON resembles that of the European bird, but
his description of the female and young almost agrees with the present
species, the dimensions also being nearly the same.
HJEMATOPUS PALLIATUS, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. part ii. p. 532.
MANTLED OYSTER-CATCHER, H^SMATOPUS PALLIATUS, Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii.
p. 15.
Plate CCXXIII. Male in June.
Bill long, slender but strong, straight, deeper than broad at the base,
towards the end extremely compressed, terminating in a very thin wedgeshaped
point. Upper mandible with the dorsal line at the base straight
and slightly sloping, convex beyond the nostrils, then straight and sloping
to the point, the ridge broad and flattened as far as the prominence,
afterwards extremely narrow, the sides sloping at the base, perpendicular
towards the end, the edges rather sharp. Nasal groove basal, long; nostrils
basal, in the middle of the groove, linear, direct, placed nearer the
margin than the dorsal line, pervious. Lower mandible straight, the
dorsal line at the base sloping upwards, at one-third of the length of the
bill bulging, then straightish and slightly ascending, the tip narrower
than that of the upper mandible, the sides at the base sloping upwards,
and having a shallow groove, towards the end becoming perpendicular.
The bill differs from that of the Hamatopus Ostralegus in being much
deeper at the bulging part, much more attenuated towards the point, and
proportionally longer.
Head of moderate size, oblong, the forehead rounded. Neck rather
long. Body stout, compact, deeper than broad. Wings long. Feet of
moderate length, rather stout; tibia bare for a fourth of its length, and,
•like the slightly compressed tarsus, covered all round with hexagonal
scales; toes rather short and fleshy, the hind toe wanting, the second a
little shorter than the fourth, the third much longer, all scaly at the base
above, scutellate towards the end, flattened and broad beneath, with thick
margins, which are covered with prominent thick scales, and connected
at the base by short webs of which the outer is longer ; claws small, blunt,
rather compressed, that of the middle toe largest, and with a dilated thin
inner edge.
Plumage of the head and neck short, blended, of the back compact,
and slightly glossed, of the lower parts close and rather blended, the feathers
in general incurved, broad, and rounded. Wings long, acute;
primaries rather narrow and tapering, the first longest, the second slightly
shorter, the rest rapidly graduated ; secondaries broad and rounded,
the inner much elongated and tapering. Tail short, rounded of twelve
rather broad, rounded feathers.
Bill vermilion, lighter at the base. Edges of eyelids vermilion; iris
bright yellow. Feet very pale flesh-colour; claws brownish-black. Head
and neck dull black tinged with bluish-grey; lower eyelid white; the
bases of the feathers on the chin white. The general colour of the upper
parts is light greyish-brown, tinged with olive, and in certain lights with
faint reddish-purple reflections ; the edge of the wing, the tips of the secondary
coverts, the secondary quills, excepting the inner elongated ones,
pure white; as are the breast, sides, under wing-coverts, abdomen, sides
of the rump, the upper and the lower tail-coverts. Basal half of the tail
white, the rest greyish-brown, like the back.
Length to end of tail 17«|-, to end of claws 19^; wing from flexure
101, tail 4£; extent of wings 3 6 ; bill along the back 3jj- ; along the
edge 3 | ; bill at the base 9
, at the deepest part in the middle s
; naked
T
g T
s part of tibia 1 ; tarsus 2 £ ; middle toe 1T
8
2 , its claw Weight 1 lb.
4£ oz.
The bill varies considerably in length and depth. Individuals vary
in length from 17 to 18 inches.
The Female is precisely similar to the male.