THE PEEWIT, OR LAPWING. 217- 



locality which the birds have selected has been dis- 

 covered, dozens of eggs may be picked up on a few 

 acres, for Peewits are gregarious in their habits, and 

 the nests are frequently only a few yards apart. 

 The eggs, which are considerably pointed at the 

 smaller end, seldom vary much in colour, being 

 olive -brown, spotted and splashed towards the 

 larger end with black, or dark umber. We have 

 once or twice taken eggs of this species which were 

 of a pale stone-colour, with small black spots at the 

 larger end. These strikingly resemble very large 

 eggs of the Ringed Plover (^Egialiiis hiaticula\ 

 and afford an illustration of the fact that some birds, 

 while usually laying eggs peculiar in colour to their 

 own species, occasionally lay eggs which resemble 

 those of other species in the same family. We have 

 noticed this in many cases. 



The young Peewits are very active as soon as 

 they are hatched, and as they leave the nest at the 

 approach of an enemy, and cower down close to the 

 ground, the mottled brown colour of their backs 

 renders it very difficult to catch sight of them in 

 this position. In this way, no doubt, they often 

 escape destruction. 



