Birds of Britain 



and Crustacea. At its breeding haunts it is extremely 

 tame, running about within a few feet of the intruder. 



Its summer home is usually on some inland bog, and the 

 nest is placed on a small tussock in a very wet place, often 

 entirely surrounded by water. The eggs are four in number, 

 very pyriform in shape, and large for the size of the bird, 

 but owing to the nest being a deep cup, the surface of the 

 eggs that has to be actually covered by the bird is com- 

 paratively small. 



In colour they are pale olive very thickly spotted and 

 streaked with black. The male undertakes all the duties 

 connected with tlie young, the female taking no notice of 

 the nest after the laying of the last egg. Frequently the 

 female at the beginning of the breeding season is accompanied 

 by more than one male, so that it is probable that polyandry 

 exists in this group, as it has already been proved to do 

 in other cases where the courting is undertaken by the 

 female. 



The call-note is a low " wit, wit, wit." In summer the 

 head, neck, and shoulders are lead grey, the back and wings 

 darker, with a mixture of pale rufous. A bar across the 

 wings white. Sides and front of the neck chestnut ; breast 

 lead grey ; chin and rest of under parts white. The male 

 is rather duller than the female. In winter the forehead, 

 crown, and under parts are white, feathers of the back grey, 

 with white margins. The young have rufous margins to 

 the feathers of the back, but otherwise resemble their 

 parents in winter dress. Length 7'5 in. ; wing 4*4 in. 



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