Feeding axd Protect/on of Young Birds, ioi 



wards and forwards in a state of concern upon the 

 sand and shingle just above the wetted hne left 

 by the succeeding Avaves of a rising tide, and I 

 discovered that they each had a pair of mis- 

 chievous baby Oyster Catchers in their charge. 

 The youngsters seemed to want to paddle verv 



FEMALE ULACKCAP SITTING OX NEST FULL OF VOUNG (/>. lOUj. 



l)adly^ but their parents beaded them off Qxavy 

 time they approached the water and made them 

 run about where it was quite safe. I nuist admit 

 that this parental care seemed even to me to be 

 very much overdone, but I soon had a striking 

 lesson to the contrary. A number of tourists 

 landed from a boat Avhich came ashore a hundred 

 yards or so further down the bay, and one of the 



