NOTES ON THE MAMMALS AND BIRDS OF ROUSAY. t39 



usual place and position, i.e., of green rushes and 

 floating at the edge of a bed of weeds ; the other 

 was on the edge of a small island, on the ground, 

 and under a large docken leaf. These birds left the 

 loch as soon as the cover got too thin to hide them. 



Herodii. 



Fam. Ardeidce. 



Heron (Ardea cinerea). Very common except in 



the nesting season. Wlien not fishing they collect 



into small parties and sit on the grass or rocks close 



to the sea. 



LlMICOL^. 



Fam. Charadriidce. 



Ringed Dotterel (JEgialitis hiaticula). Very com- 

 mon and resident. In winter assembling at times 

 into considerable flocks. 



Golden Plover (Charadrius pluvialis). By no 

 means as common a bird as I expected. A good 

 many pairs bred on the hill (one pair, above the 

 house, had the greater j^art of their wings white) ; 

 but in the autumn they mostly left, and the few 

 that came in the winter were Avild and very local ; 

 in fact, in the whole of my shooting, about 5000 

 acres, there was only one small spot where I had much 

 chance of seeing any of these birds. Very few 

 plovers bred on the smaller holms : I only saw one 

 nest containing two rotten eggs, and the remains of 

 one of the old birds were not far off. 



Lapwing (Vaiiellus cristatus). Very abundant 

 through the island, the great bulk leaving in October, 

 though a few linger on as long as the weather is 

 open, and I saw one or two either the last days of 

 November or early in December. They breed undis- 

 turbed, as their eggs being small are not much sought 

 after. In one nest I found five eggs just on the 

 point of hatching. When first discovered the young 

 squat very close, but on being lifted up and put 

 down again they run fast enough, stopping every 

 now and then, turning sideways, and bowing most 

 politely. 



