42 



BIRD-LIFE OF THE BORDERS. 



feigned lameness. The young, pretty little grey things, 

 spotted with black, are hatched early in June, and most of 

 them have left the moors before the end of July. Yet as late 

 as June 10th, we have found nests of newly-laid eggs ; these 

 late sittings, as also noticed in the case of the Golden 

 Plover, being often remarkably handsome and strongly- 

 marked specimens. 



Mai/ 19tJi. — A glorious summer day : the influence of the 

 season is now fully developed, and the full chorus of the 

 summer birds can now be enjoyed to perfection. Besides 

 those already mentioned, there is now added to the 

 orchestra the notes of all the little Warblers, the Chats, and 

 the ubiquitous Cuckoo, and to an appreciative ear nothing 



HOOKED.— THE FIRST RUSH. 



can be more delightful than the infinite variety of the wild 

 moorland sounds at this period of the year. The air is filled 

 with the pipes and whistles of the wading tribe, and the 

 varied intonations of the smaller songsters, with the croak 

 of the snow-white Gulls floating overhead, and the " bee " of 

 the Grouse-cock among the heather above — but, indeed, it is 

 impossible to convey an idea of the variety of the bird-con- 

 cert. The tamest of all birds is the Dunlin : a beautiful pair, 

 with their rich ruddy backs and black breasts, run all round 

 us, as we lie on the riverside at lunch, up and down the 

 sloping bank almost within reach, and active and nimble as 

 mice; they often wade breast-deep into the water to drink, and 

 all the time keep " purring " in their usual careless manner. 



