Sketches from Nature. 309 



" mewed " for the purpose of feeding, and 

 fatted upon liver. A thousand birds, supposed 

 to be of this species, were served at a feast on the 

 enthronisation of Archbishop Nevill. In Ireland 

 the birds are netted in autumn in very consider- 

 able numbers ; though, strangely enough, the 

 eggs are neither appreciated nor collected as 

 they are here. A new phase of the trade in 

 lapwings' eggs is that of preserving them for 

 use during the winter months. 



v. 



BROWN IN SUMMER, WHITE IN WINTER. 



Of the protective colouring exhibited by 

 several birds and quadrupeds in countries that 

 remain during a greater part of the year 

 under snow, Britain furnishes several interesting 

 examples. Amongst these are the ptarmigan, 

 variable or Alpine hare, ermine, Greenland 

 falcon, snowy owl, Lapland bunting, with other 

 less marked instances. The very existence of 

 each of these creatures depends upon the close- 

 ness with which it conforms to its environment ; 

 and just as it does this effectively so it is robust 

 as a species and flourishes. The inherent 

 variability in some cases is great, and definite 

 changes can be brought about in comparatively 

 short periods. In other species, however, modi- 

 fication is slow, and only obtained by the long 



