HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



85 



"raven's" nest was but that of a crow, for it was 

 empty. The raven {C. cor ax) is never seen in this 

 part of the country. I found a crow's nest on a tree 

 overhanging a deep ravine, and on scrambling along 



numerous hillocks covered with ling, and here and 

 there portions covered with stones, growing amongst 

 which is a short benty grass, affords excellent cover for 

 the nest of the golden plover (C.pluvialis). The plain- 



Fig. 60. — Nest of Reed-Bunting. 



Fig. 61. — Nest of Sedge-Warbler. 



the trunk, was pleased to find four eggs. Of four 

 other nests found during the day, two were tenantless 

 and two contained young ones. 



The top of Fairsnape being mostly peaty, with 



^^^ fx^r 



Fig. 62. — Wheatears (Saxicola. ccnanihe). 



tive alarm whistle of this pretty bird saluted our ears 

 as soon as we showed ourselves, but our search for 

 its nest was not successful in this spot. Later on in 

 the day, I procured eggs from two nests on Langdon 

 Fell. The nest is an especially difficult one to find, 

 being very slightly built, usually close to a stone or 

 tuft of grass ; and the four eggs — which are enormous 

 ones for the size of the bird — and of a stone colour, 

 thickly blotched with dark or blackish brown, closely 

 resemble the surroundings. During the first few days 

 of incubation, the old bird runs silently and stealthily, 

 to a considerable distance from the nest before rising, 

 when warned by the voice of her mate that danger is 

 approaching, but after sitting ten days or so, she 

 becomes very unwilling to move, and will almost suffer 

 herself to be trodden upon before she will stir. Owing 

 to the wide expanse of rough ground to be traversed, 

 it is almost impossible to systematically search for the 



