288 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



it appears to be more abundant on two or three of the 

 adjoining estates than with us. Of the appearance of 

 the migratory Quail ( Coturnix dactyliso nans) here, we 

 can record but one solitary instance, although we have 

 seen its eggs from the neighbourhood of Petersfield, 

 Catherington and Alresford ; and last August a per- 

 fectly fresh egg was picked up in one of the corn 

 fields on Castle farm. The Black Grouse (Tetrao 

 tetrix) is equally rare, one or two stragglers only 

 having been shot here within the memory of middle- 

 aged sportsmen. 



. Our Water Birds and Waders will not detain us long, 

 for two reasons, the species are not numerous, and 

 we have not had many opportunities of studying the 

 habits of any, but the most common among them. 

 The Stone Curlew (CEdicnemus crepitans) visits the 

 open tracts about Lady Holt Park and West Harting 

 Down, where its eggs are found almost every season, 

 deposited on the bare ground without any nest. The 

 Golden Plover (Pluvialis aurea) is occasionally seen in 

 our open fields and meadows in tolerably large flocks 

 in mild weather, during the winter months ; and a few 

 individuals find their way to the larder, where they 

 rank nearly as high as the Woodcock. The Lapwing 

 ( Vanellns cristatus) is common with us winter and 

 summer, being more generally dispersed during the 

 breeding season than at any other period. The eggs 

 of this bird are so highly esteemed as a luxury (and 

 in our opinion justly so), that they are imported from 

 the continent, chiefly from the low countries, in fabu- 

 lous numbers, and early in the season, according to 

 the London poulterers, one shilling and sixpence re- 

 presents the marketable equivalent of each ! By a 

 domestic economist this might be deemed an extrava- 

 gant figure ; but what would such a person think when 

 told that more than twenty pounds have been given 

 for the egg of the Great Auk (A lea impennis) ; and 



