107 



on the marsh. I have also found the nest on the bank side, and 

 I observe that it forms a better nest when built in this situation. 

 Sometimes it builds a considerable distance from the river; I have 

 known them between eighty and a hundred yards from it. At 

 times you will find it on the sand beds, built under the shade of 

 the large leaves of the butter bur, or under the shelter of some 

 small bush. The nest is generally in a slight depression of the 

 ground, although sometimes the hole is scratched by the birds 

 themselves ; it is built sparingly of dried grass, fibrous roots, and 

 sometimes a few leaves. The number of eggs are four, of a lightish 

 cream colour spotted and blotched with dark reddish brown and 

 ashy grey. The eggs laid in nests found on the shingle are 

 profusely marked with small spots of a reddish colour, and are not 

 so deeply marked as those found on the bank sides ; they assimilate 

 very much with the surroundings, and it takes a practised eye to 

 find the nest. The eggs are very large for the size of the bird, and 

 are arranged quatrefoil ; they take up very little room, and you 

 would wonder how the small nest could contain them. The 

 prettiest nest I ever saw, was on an island in the river Caldew, 

 built on a small hillock of sand, covered with wild thyme ; the 

 nest was in a cup-like hollow on the very top — a beautiful sight. 

 When the bird went oif the nest, it ran down the mound, and at 

 the first glimpse I thought it was a young wild rabbit, as there 

 were a few on the island. I have found the nest close to footpaths 

 on several occasions, notably one at Wetheral, where people were 

 constantly passing within a foot or two ol it ; in fact I should never 

 have thought of looking for it in such a public place ; but in the 

 twilight of a beautiful summer night I saw the bird run off, and I 

 looked more through curiosity than anything else, and sure enough 

 there the nest was, hidden under a small bush ; yet, in spite of 

 this, the bird hatched out the young safely. When incubation is 

 going on, the male takes his place on the nest for a time ; this I 

 have seen several times by the aid of my field-glass. He is never 

 far away when hatching is going on, and is the first to give the 

 alarm with his querulous note. 



The young run about as soon as they are out of the shell — and 



