-•'•'^ WITH XATVUK AXD A C.UIKRA. 



suiToiiiidiiig objects, and tliis they often do witli 

 the most remarkable success. I remember a case of 

 a dozen people wandering- all over ([iiite a small 

 patch of sand and shino-le in search of s(>a-sliells, 

 and yet missinf^' a Ringed l^lover's eg-gs, which, by 

 a miracle, also escaped the much more likely 

 calamity of beinii" trodden upon. I visited the 

 place a few days afterwards, Avhen the young birds 

 had been hatched, and, although I made a systematic 

 search for them, three in mnnber, I failed entirely 

 to discover a siliii'le bird. I accordinfily retired to 

 a roofless shed sixty yards distant, and well above 

 the little sj^it of sand and shinu-le, which I kept 

 under close observation through my held-glasses. 

 fn al)out ten miiuites the female ran down from 

 a ridge of rocks, and standing head to wind began 

 to call in sweet low notes. Pi-esently a little grey 

 tuft of down ran swiftly up to her, and disappeared 

 beneath her right wing, and was instantly followed 

 by another Avhich came from an opposite direction, 

 and sought cover by ducking its head and going 

 beneath her puffed out breast feathers. A third 

 darted u]), but did not innnediately take shelter, 

 although his mother continued to call for him. lie 

 dallied for a while in examination of a small ])<)ol 

 of water, which was thickly coated with bright 

 green weed and slime, and after picking up, or 

 pretending to do so, one or two morsels of food 

 in the most business-like fashion, retired beneath liis 

 mother's sheltering wing, and she ceased to call. 



After a while I dashed down u})on them at my 

 utmost speed. The old bird ran straight away 

 for fifteen yards or so, and then began to tund)le 

 about and practise her decoying antics. 'V]u^ young- 

 ones took their d(>j)arture each in an o])])osite 

 direction, and by the time I i-eacluMl l]u> spot 



