THE STONE-CURLEW 245 



the habit becoming a serious menace to the existence of the species, 

 as it would under such changed conditions become a conspicuous 

 and easy prey. Dr. Bowdler Sharpe related of two stone-curlews 

 that he kept, and which were allowed to run loose in the garden by 

 day, that they much resented being shut up in an aviary at night, 

 and used every artifice to avoid it ; when all other concealment failed, 

 they would prostrate themselves flat on the ground and lie perfectly 

 still, " a manoeuvre which might have been successful on fallow-land, 

 but which signally failed to hide them when executed in the middle 

 of a lawn." 1 



I once, and once only, saw a family party, two adults and two 

 downy young, all standing up together. It was a strange and most 

 engaging sight, but it did not last long enough for me to watch them 

 to any purpose ; the old birds detected me at once and ran off in their 

 quaint style, and the young ones dropped to the ground, and although 

 I was near enough to see them clearly without glasses, it was only 

 after a long search that I was able to find them. This group showed 

 them thoroughly domesticated, both adults in close attendance on 

 the chicks. 



If their eggs are destroyed or taken they will lay a second or even 

 a third time, but I do not think a second brood is reared. The 

 incubation period is long about twenty-eight days 2 and this twice 

 in the season, allowing some time in between, would carry a second 

 brood very late into the summer. 



As the young grow the swelling at the upper part of the tarsus, 

 and the tibio-tarsal joint, becomes very evident. As before stated, 

 this swelling is common to all Waders and also to some other groups, 

 e.g. Herons and Ducks many Waders having as large a development 

 of it as the stone-curlew which makes it a matter for some surprise 



1 Wonders of the Bird World, p. 272. 



4 Mr. E. G. B. Mead-Waldo ascertained the incubation period to be 26-27 days. In a nest 

 under observation, the first egg was laid early in the day on May 23rd, and the second late 

 in the day on May 25th. Hatching took place on June 20 and 21st. British Birds (magazine), 

 i. p. 92. 



