THE PHALAROPE 211 



ness and trustfulness of its disposition have been the cause of 

 its extinction from many a mountain haunt ; and if the per- 

 secution does not soon be stayed, this, one of the most charming 

 of British birds, will become extinct in our islands. In many 

 of its actions this pretty little bird resembles a Moorhen. 

 Like that bird it runs about the banks of the sedg}^ pools, 

 incessantly bobbing its head up and down, and on the water 

 it swims with similar motion. The Eed-necked Phalarope 

 is as much at home in the deep clear pools as on the land, 

 and spends much of its time swimming about, occasionally 

 snapping at passing insects, or exploring all the vegetation 

 round the margin in search of food. It is absurdly tame, and 

 often allows you to watch its every action within a few paces. 

 It is a very sociable bird, and many nests may be found in 

 quite a small area of the swamps. 



The Eed-necked Phalarope arrives at its breeding grounds 

 early in May, and soon afterwards its slight nest is arranged. 

 It loves to frequent for this purpose wide expanses of marshy 

 moor in which there are many clear pools surrounded with 

 rush and sedge and coarse grass. The nest is rarely built 

 very far from the water, and is usually well concealed amongst 

 the herbage, which often hangs quite over it. It is merely a 

 hollow scratched out in the ground and lined with a few bits 

 of dead grass and rush. In this the female lays four buffish- 

 brown eggs, blotched and spotted with dark blackish-brown 

 and paler markings of gray. One of the most interesting 

 facts connected with the nesting economy of the Eed-necked 

 Phalarope is, that the male bird hatches the eggs and assists 

 the most in bringing the young chicks to maturity. All 

 effects in ISTature have a cause, although we may not perhaps 

 be able to connect one with the other ; but in this case the 

 reason why the female resigns her usual duty to her mate is 

 because she is much more brightly coloured, and would thus 

 be more likely to attract enemies to her helpless charge. 



