134 ^- L. V. Mannichiï. 



in the moors, a fact that — as aheady mentioned — made my sear- 

 ches after the nests more difficult. 



I met with breeding birds as well South as North of the gravel 

 banks plateau in the Stormkap territory, but I never found them 

 close to the shores of the firths. 



In the most favoured localities I found some old nests the size 

 and situation of which made me suppose, that they had belonged 

 to Knots. These nests were very similar to those of Strepsilas inter- 

 pres, the only bird with which a confusion could be possible, and 

 they also were placed on similar spots, but my knowledge as to the 

 Turnstone and its nest is so intimate, that I nevertheless by the 

 total impression feel certain, that I am able to distinguish it from 

 that of any other bird. 



I found breeding spots in both sexes. 



The males seemed only to partake in the breeding for a shorter 

 part of the day; this I judge from the fact, that during the breeding 

 season I met with males far more frequently than with females at 

 the side of lakes and other feeding places lying far from the nest- 

 ing localities. 



The care of the young ones is — according to my experience 



— entrusted to the female alone. 



The night between July 25*^ and 26"^ 1907 I met with a Knot, 

 that quite certainly had young ones on a plain traversed by a deep, 

 partly dry river bed. The bird suddenly appeared just before my 

 feet, flapping and creeping pitifully along with puffed-up feathers. 

 It produced now and then some — to me hitherto quite unknown 



— peculiar mouse-like, hardly audible sounds, that at last sounded 

 as an anxious long drawn out piping. 



Hidden behind a large stone I awaited for a long time the 

 bird's return to her young ones but quite in vain. She soon came 

 back to the stone still anxiously creeping and piping, but finally 

 she flew up and with an incredibly rapid low flight followed the 

 bed of the river in a western direction and disappeared alltogether. 



I searched for a long while for the young on the spot, where 

 the female first appeared, but in vain. Then I followed the bed of 

 the river in the direction in which the bird flew and found it some 

 500 meters farther West, still pitifully creeping and piping. By con- 

 tinually flying a shorter or longer way in the same direction, she 

 tried to lure me as far away as possible. Having continued a couple 

 of hours, we were at last some two kilometer from the place, 

 where the bird appeared at first. As I was thinly dressed, I was at 

 last obliged to go to my tent to get on some warm clothing as pro- 

 tection against the night-cold. 



