412 THE BIRDS OF KENT 



" The Kedshanks pair about the middle or end of April, 

 and at this time are constantly on the move, flying 

 round and round in circles, incessantly uttering their 

 sharp note with great animation, occasionally rising and 

 falling in the air with a tremulous motion of the wings, 

 and at the same time making a trilling noise. It appears 

 to me that these birds never rest ; I have heard them at 

 all hours of the day, and on a still night their cry sounds 

 particularly wild and pleasing. Besides their note uttered 

 when on the wing, they are in the night in the habit of 

 joining in a chorus (if I may so term it), one bird begin- 

 ning and others chiming in one after another, much in 

 the same manner as a flock of ducks assist the old drake 

 in his clamorous wheezing. 



" It is by no means an easy matter to find a Eedshank's 

 nest, as, in the first place, as soon as they perceive an 

 intruder on their domain, they immediately commence 

 flying round, uttering loud cries, in the manner before 

 described, and if a dog is present, dashmg at it much in 

 the same way as the Curlew. They continue this circling 

 almost incessantly until the intruder retires, but seldom 

 settling, and then only for a short time. In the next 

 place, supposing a bird is marked down, even then one 

 part of the marsh is so much like another, and a circuit 

 being generally necessary to avoid creeks, &c., a person 

 gets perfectly bewildered in a very short time. I was 

 once so fortunate as to capture a young lied shank that 

 was apparently not many hours old. Hearing a low 

 chirp some distance ahead, I went forward, but almost 

 immediately heard it again behind my back. I continued 

 walking, first in one direction, then in another, but 

 always with the same result ; I had no sooner got close, 

 as I thought, to the spot, than I heard the bird in quite 



