158 HJEMATOPUS OSTRALEGUS. 



spots, and blotches of blackish-brown and umber, with some 

 irregular linear markings of the same. The eggs are usually 

 deposited from the tenth of April to the twentieth of May, and 

 only one brood is reared in the season. Although the parent 

 birds evince great anxiety about their eggs or young, they 

 seldom come very near an intruder, but generally keep flying 

 about at a safe distance, uttering their loud shrill cry. 



Mr. St. John states that, in the neighbourhood of Forres, 

 they " sit quietly in pairs the chief part of the day on the 

 banks or islands of shingle about the river or on the shore, 

 but resort in the evenings to the sands in large flocks," and 

 that " during the whole of the breeding season they remain 

 in large flocks along the coast, notwithstanding their duties 

 of hatching and raising their young. When all other birds 

 are paired off, they still every now and then eollect in the 

 same numbers as they do in winter." This, however, is not 

 a practice with them in other parts of Scotland, and, pro- 

 bably on account of local peculiarities, a great number of 

 sterile individuals, or such as are not breeding, may continue 

 or collect there in summer. Some are, in like manner, to be 

 seen about Ythan Mouth in summer ; but generally all along 

 our eastern coast the sea-shore is deserted during the breeding 

 season. 



Should one consider the Sea-Pie the most beautiful of 

 our native birds, I could not much censure his taste. When 

 by the silver Dee, gliding rapidly along, amidst corn-fields, 

 pastures, and fragrant birch-woods, you hear a loud and 

 shrill cry, and turning about, see a pair winging their flight 

 up the country, their glossy black and pure white plumage 

 contrasting strongly with everything around, and their long 

 vermilion beaks giving them a strange and foreign aspect, 

 they never fail to rivet your gaze. Equally attractive are 

 they when running about on some grassy meadow, picking 

 up an insect or a slug, then standing, and again advancing 

 with quick short steps, prettily tripping it among the 

 gowans ; then emitting their loud alarm-cries, and flying off 

 to a more distant place, or alighting on the pebbly beach. 

 No creature but man seems to molest them; but of his 

 advances they are always suspicious, as good need they 

 have to be. 



