HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



they afforded — for now 

 we were in a part sel- 

 dom traversed by any 

 one but the game- 

 keeper, but from this 

 dread personage we 

 had nothing to fear, 

 being on the best of 

 terms with him, and, 

 besides, we had free 

 range over these pre- 

 sei-ves. Very soon our 

 ears were gladdened by 

 the well-known note of 

 the sandpiper ( T. hypo- 

 leucd], as a pair rose 

 from a gravel bed, and 

 sailed away, on ex- 

 tended wing, up the 

 stream, uttering their 

 ringing cry of " Willy 

 Wicket, Willy Wicket" 

 —a cry I always hear 

 M'ith pleasure, for this 

 lively little bird is a 

 particular favourite of 

 mine, and I like to see 

 it paddling about in the 

 shallows, or running 

 briskly along the 

 water's edge, uttering 

 its plaintive whistle 

 when apprehensive of 

 danger to its nest 

 or young if its do- 

 mains are invaded by 

 man. We now began 

 to search for the nest, 

 and found it on the 

 bankside, close to the 

 water, with its full 

 quota of eggs — four. 

 So small is the cavity 

 made by this bird for 

 its nest, and so closely 

 do the eggs assimilate 

 with the surroundings, 

 that only by great prac- 

 tice can it be readily 

 discovered. Some- 



times, but very rarely, 

 I have found the nest 

 on the sand-beds, and 

 have always noticed 

 that eggs laid in this 

 situation are of a light 

 stone colour, profusely 

 dotted with small 

 rusty and brownish 







Fig. 17.— The Bullfinch (Pyr)-h?dii vulgaris ). 



Fig. iS. — Black-headed Bunting fEmderha sc^a/iiclusj. 



