310 MACOILLI\'RAV, Southern Stouc-Plover Tst^Apd" 



new leggings that creaketl wlien he walked, as new leather some- 

 times does. 



Whether Fraser took this to be an unknown bird hidden away 

 one cannot say, but whenever this man came to the house Fraser 

 exhibited every sign of frantic rage, and would follow him about 

 screaming and trying to peck his boots. 



This bird, after a residence of many years, fell a victim to a 

 marauding fox. 'Pwo more I'ush Curlews took up their abode 

 in the station garden, a sweet old-fashioned one, full of lovely 

 old trees, hedges, and shrubs. It seemed an idyllic sanctuary 

 for the following little bird romance. 



The two birds, "Lady Douglas" and "Fraser" — so called after 

 the earlier one — were ])articular mates. One day there came in 

 from the w ilds a strange Curlew, of a very aggressive type, and 

 he usurped the ])osition of Lady Douglas's mate, and straightway 

 they hunted Fraser to a solitary existence under the orange trees, 

 while they assumed the lordship of the tennis court, and took 

 up their abode under an olive tree. 



Fraser dared not approach the tennis court, and he was literally 

 hunted off their territory. One day, much to everyone's interest, 

 an tg^ was laid in quite an exposed i)osition on a patch of grass 

 imder the olive tree, and the fiercest guardianshij) was displayed 

 over that egg by both ])arents. If you a])proached the egg as 

 though to take it, the father ran about uttering harsh cries of 

 anger, dragging his wings along the ground like a "gobbler" does 

 in the i)oultry yard, while the mother bird wf)uld attack you, 

 pecking savagely. 



In due time, when the baby Curlew hatched out, the ])ri<le of 

 the ]jarent birds was a charming and touching sight. They ran 

 up and down the court with the little one between them, and 

 one of the prettiest epi.sodes was one day when they had appar- 

 ently decided that "baby" was old enough to be taken to view 

 the outside world in the big garden. With little cries of en- 

 couragement, baby being very timid, and trying continually to 

 flatten himself out on the paths, as they do when they hide, 

 the ])arents, one on either side of the young one, edged him 

 along the garden paths, and after nuich wandering returned him 

 in safet\- to the tennis court. 



This ex])eriment was never repealed, so it was concluded that 

 it was not regarded as a success by the old birds. 



Another strange incident was this. My friends one day chased 

 the yoinig Curlew into a corner as though to capture it, to the 

 frantic rage of the birds; and their cries of distress brought 

 Fraser. the ])oor discarded mate, (|uickl\ to the scene, and he 

 rushed away with the young bird to a far corner, whilst the 

 parents endeavoured together to divert the attention of the 

 vvould-l)e captors by pecking angrily and fluttering their wings. 

 When my friends retired the parent birds hunted poor I-'raser 



