2 (EDICNEMID-E. 



protective for the eggs and the lighter tint for the nestlings. The Stone-Curlew 

 generally makes its scanty nest in the middle of a bare field or moorland waste, 

 so that it is quite impossible to approach without the bird seeing the intruder, 

 and she always steals quietly away at the earliest threatening of danger, leaving 

 her eggs to take care of themselves, and well aware of the danger of remaining 

 by them. I have never heard the Stone-Curlew utter any note during the day- 

 time, whether disturbed from the nest or merely flushed by chance, but after 

 sundown they become very noisy, and their weird cries may be heard throughout 

 the night, ceasing only as the morning begins to dawn. The local name in this 

 district is ' Shriek Owl ' (from the cry, of course), and the name is appropriate. 

 This cry is generally described as a whistle, even a ' melodious ' whistle ; possibly 

 this is the best description of it, but I always think it wants some epithet added 

 to it, such as ' weird ' or ' ghostly.' Their wild cries, ringing out loud and clear 

 on a still night, always suggest something uncanny. 



" I had this year an excellent opportunity of watching a pair of these birds 

 which laid in their usually exposed situation on the common, but within about 

 seventy yards of a large gorse-bush. I constantly tried to observe them by 

 stalking behind this bush, but always failed, till at last the idea occurred to me 

 of walking boldly up, disturbing them, and then laying up in the gorse-bush. 

 This proved successful. After waiting about half an hour, I had the pleasure of 

 seeing the female bird steal up to the nest and settle on the eggs. The male 

 bird appeared at the same time, and stood on a raised knoll at some distance 

 from the nest, evidently on sentry duty, and watching for danger from every 

 quarter. 



" While I was looking at them, I unfortunately broke a small tmg of gorse, 

 in trying to shift myself into a more comfortable position. In a moment I was 

 detected : both birds turned their heads sharply in my direction ; the male 

 disappeared over the side of the knoll ; the female raised herself off the eggs, and 

 stole away, with head lowered and neck extended, at a fast crouching kind of run, 

 and thovigh I waited another half an hour, nothing would induce them to return, 

 but I occasionally caught a glimpse of the head of the male just showing over the 

 top of the knoll, and evidently prospecting to see if the ground was clear. Not 

 wanting to distiu'b the birds, I left my hiding-place, but I never had another 

 opportunity of watching them, for they would not again approach the nest without 

 first carefully scanning the gorse-bush, and making sure that no one was concealed 

 there. I watched these eggs hatching, and noticed an interesting fact connected 

 therewith that I think deserves recording. 



" Both eggs were sprung on the 31st May : on the morning of June 1st, the 



