AUTUMN DISPLAYS IN OUR BRITISH BIRDS 269 



movements have been fully described {Bird- Watching, p. 90). 

 We have seen a modified form of these in autumn and 

 winter. On 19th January 1904, at St Andrews, we saw two 

 go up to each other several times, jump up into the air, 

 breast to breast, with a little flutter, and on alighting, one, or 

 sometimes both, stooped slowly forward till the tip of the 

 beak rested on the mud. They made a shrill, scolding noise 

 as they flew up, and afterwards usually turned round and 

 walked away. There was a good deal of piping going on ; a 

 bird would stoop down with the point of its bill on the mud, 

 then turn slowly round and round with its bill as the pivot, 

 piping shrilly all the time. On one occasion two did this 

 simultaneously in front of another, probably a female. A 

 similar display was observed in Largo Bay on 1 ith November 

 1903. 



On 16th December 1916, near Largo, we saw a Lapwing 

 doing a modified display, rolling to and fro on its breast, 

 its tail pointing skywards, the chestnut under-tail coverts 

 showing most distinctly. In the case of Redshanks we have 

 also seen antics on 25th August 1906 and 13th October 1916, 

 the stately paces and waving wings make of this display one 

 of the prettiest pictures imaginable. 



The only instance we have come across among the 

 Laridae was on 24th August 1909, when in Largo Bay we 

 saw two Greater Black-backed Gulls in full summer plumage, 

 displaying by bowing their heads, then drawing themselves 

 up to their full height with a very stiff action. It is curious 

 how often this very stiff action is a concomitant of courting 

 displays ; one sees it in the spring antics of many species, 

 and it was also present in the displays we have just detailed 

 though in a lesser degree, corresponding to the less vigorous 

 character of these. 



There are a few points to which we should like to draw 

 special attention. In the cases of autumn display of Eider 

 observed by us, these were performed by newly arrived and 

 freshly moulted males ; it must, however, be remembered 

 that this species, Merganser and Scoter (all of which have 

 come directly under our notice), have their principal season 

 of display in spring, when the courting antics are performed 



