tgz THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



forward and found that it was a very young one, probably 

 about one day old. I placed my cap over it, and we got 

 ready to photograph it. It never ceased calling and trying 

 to escape. All the time the parent kept running round and 

 round us gradually getting nearer, and we soon began to 

 expose plates at the old bird. It was trying to entice the 

 young one away and the young one actually did get out 

 from below the cap, but sat down as soon as it did so. The 

 old bird then, without any hesitation, ran up and brooded 

 over the youngster within a yard of us. It was only when 

 I removed my cap, which was touching the parent bird, that 

 it took fright. To save time we tethered the young bird for 

 a matter of five minutes and we had soon exposed every 

 available plate, for the old bird brooded almost without fear. 

 It called continually to its offspring and was as frequently 

 answered. Before we left we all but succeeded in stroking 

 it. We soon released the youngster from its temporary 

 restraint and its parent finally led it out of sight in the 

 uneven ground. We found a piece of egg-shell near, but we 

 did not find the nest. There certainly was only one young 

 bird. 



While we were engaged with our photography we heard 

 Dotterel calling from the top of the ridge and we saw a 

 pair silhouetted against the skyline, but the day was wearing 

 on and we did not follow them. 



Dr Stewart re-visited the hill next day and found one 

 Dotterel having charge of a fairly old youngster showing 

 well-developed feathers. It was just at the place where we 

 had noticed the pair on the top of the ridge the previous 

 evening. Again, however, there was only one young one 

 and one parent. 



As already mentioned, Mr Evans and I went in a 

 different direction, and did not expect to see any Dotterel, 

 We had only travelled a few hundred yards along the 

 3500 feet level, however, when we put up a single Dotterel 

 in charge of one young one about three or four days old. 

 That completed our observations of Dotterel for the two 

 days, but between us we had seen several on the wing or 

 feeding on the moss, one nest and its two owners and no 



