108 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[May 1, 1S69. 



is one of the chief pleasures of the naturalist to 

 recall when looking at a bird in his collection. 



The Peewit may be considered a resident species, 

 for it may be found in some part or other of the 

 country all the year round. There is no doubt 

 that great numbers move southwards at the ap- 

 proach of winter ; and the birds which we notice in 

 the southern counties in the fall of the year, are 

 probably visitors from more northern localities. 



locality which the birds have selected has been dis- 

 covered, dozens of eggs may be picked up on a few 

 acres, for Peewits are gregarious in their habits, 

 and the nests are frequently only a few yards apart. 

 The eggs, which are considerably pointed at the 

 smaller end, seldom vary much in colour, being 

 olive-brown, spotted and splashed towards the 

 larger end with black or dark umber. We have once 

 or twice taken eggs of this species which were of a 



Pig. 78. The Lapwing. 



In many parts of the country we have remarked 

 that the same ground is annually resorted to by 

 Peewits for 1 lie purpose of nesting; and hence we 

 may conclude that the same birds return year by 

 year, impelled by curious instinct, to the very spot 

 where they have formerly reared their young. They 

 pair towards the end of March, and early in April 

 collect straws and dry grass, and form a slight nest 

 in a depression of the ground. When the full com- 

 plement of eggs is laid, each nest contains four, 

 and the harvest time for poulterers and game-dealers 

 commences about the middle of April. When the 



pale stone-colour, with small black spots at the 

 larger end. These strikingly resemble very large 

 eggs of the Pinged Plover {Charadni's hiaticula), 

 and afford an illustration of the fact that some 

 birds, while usually laying eggs peculiar in colour 

 to their own species, occasionally lay eggs which 

 resemble those of other species in the same family. 

 We have noticed this in many cases. 



The young Peewits are very active as soon as 

 they are hatched, and as they leave the nest at the 

 approach of an enemy and cower down close to the 

 ground, the mottled brown colour of their backs 



