Northern Observations of Inland Birds 37 



March 15th Found numerous lapwing scrapings in 

 fallow fields by Loch Ken. They will be 

 nesting in full swing ten days hence. 



March 24th Strong northerly winds with snow and 

 rain day after day. All signs of lapwings 

 nesting have vanished. They, and most 

 other birds, are in packs again. But for 

 these unusual weather conditions there 

 would doutbless be many eggs by now. 



April 6th Weather improved. Fresh lapwing scrap- 

 ings. Indications of nesting season exactly 

 where they were on March 15th. 



April 8th Collected nine lapwing eggs — the first of 

 the season. 



April 1 2th Lapwings nesting in full swing. 



Anyone who writes up their bird observations will 

 probably have similar entries. 



Many lovers of bird life shrink from the thought of 

 egg collecting of any kind, but taking a common sense 

 view of the collecting of plover eggs, which many appreciate 

 as one of the greatest delicacies of the year, my studies 

 of the habits and character of the bird involved lead me 

 to conclude that so long as the dates of the old close 

 season enforced in England before the new Act be observed, 

 the species does not suffer by the activities of the collector. 

 When a lapwing has been robbed she lays again 

 immediately. If her second clutch be taken she again 

 wastes no time, but at once produces a third. This 

 process is repeated till, in certain deplorable cases, I have 

 heard of the hen bird becoming so weak that she could 

 hardly rise from the ground. Such persecution is obviously 

 brutal, but, with the proviso already set forth, it is 

 impossible for this stage or anything approaching it to 

 be reached. In fact, in a normal season, the first nest 



