W. p. PYCRAFT : NEST OF THE RINGED PLOVER 379 



ceeded. The chief restraining- factor has been Natural 

 Selection : for birds whose choice was unfortunate would 

 bring down discovery and destruction upon their eggs and 

 race, while where their choice tended in the direction of 

 increased protective resemblance to the environment, the 

 perpetuation of the race and the further jjerfection of the 

 nest would be secured. 



Fig. 5. 



-Nest of Ringed Plover: composed of small sticks. 

 (Photographed by C. W Colthrup,) 



Some striking instances of this individuality of taste in 

 the selection of building materials have been placed on 

 record. In Yarrell's "British Birds" for example, the 

 case of a Groldfinch is given which had formed the ground- 

 work of its nest after the usual fashion, when small 

 parcels of wool were scattered about in the vicinity ; as a 

 consequence much of this wool was at once seized upon 

 and worked into the fabric ; then cotton was thrown 



