Ornithology of IVest Jutland. 341 



have been laid about the last week in April. Then^ on May 

 13th, we not only found a nest containing four fresh eggs, 

 but we were also fortunate enough to discover a brood of 

 young ones, perhaps two days old. It should be mentioned, 

 in explanation, that we had thrice tried to find this last nest ; 

 but the bird always rose from a different part of the marsh, 

 which led us to believe that she must have young, and it was 

 while making, after a long watch, a final effort to find the 

 eggs that we accidentally stumbled on the young birds in 

 the long grass. On one occasion, after we had been lying 

 for some time pretty well concealed, we noticed through the 

 binoculars a Godwit walking and running towards us until 

 it eventually disappeared quite suddenly. We thought it 

 might have sat down on its nest, so we marked the place 

 carefully and then stood up ; the bird instantly rose about 

 150 yards from us, and on walking straight to the spot we 

 were delighted to find the nest with four olive-green eggs. 

 In another instance we observed two birds playing together in 

 the air over a certain part of the bog in such a manner that 

 our suspicions were sufficiently aroused to cause us to cross 

 the quaking surface until we actually walked right on to the 

 nest and its four eggs. The nests were mere depressions in 

 the moss, without any special lining-material, and four is 

 the number of eggs laid. The downy young have extra- 

 ordinarily developed legs and feet in comparison Avith the 

 size of the body ; the beak and legs are lead-colour ; the 

 body pale yellow or fawn, with darker brownish-coloured 

 streaks or bars ; the irides black. Even when only a day or 

 two old, these youngsters were adepts at walking amongst 

 the roughest grass ; they uttered a plaintive little call-note 

 when trying to find each other in the grass. 



By the aid of an old brown-coloured water-dog we were 

 able to secure specimens of the parent birds, but without 

 this dog they never came within shot. The females are much 

 larger and longer in the bill than the males; their heads, 

 necks, and breasts are a pale red or fawn-colour, bellies 

 white, and backs grey, splashed a little with black and russet- 

 coloured feathers. 



