LAND-JULIL. 91 



of form the eggs of the Dunlin are unrivalled. The ground- 

 colour is sometimes of a clear light green, richly spotted with 

 light brown; sometimes the ground-colour is of a bluish-white." 

 The hen will suffer herself to be removed from her nest by the 

 hand rather than leave her eggs. Fig. 3, plate IX. 



217. PURPLE SAND-PIPER (Tringa maritima). 

 Selninger Sand-piper, Black Sand-piper. Not a very numerous 

 species, but by no means infrequent on the British coasts. Very 

 few, however, are seen except in winter and early spring, the far 

 greater part resorting to some place far in the north to nest. Still, 

 it seems almost certain that a few breed wish us in North England 

 and Scotland. It lays four eggs of "a yellowish-grey colour, 

 varied with small irregular spots of pale brown, thick at the 

 obtuse end, rarer at the other." 



V. KALLID^!. 



218. LAND-HAIL (Ores pratensis). 



Corn Crake, Meadow Crake, Dakerhen. This bird is found 

 in most parts of the kingdom, though for the most part in no 

 great abundance any where, in the earlier months of the autumn. 

 In most of the northern parts it breeds annually, but I do not 

 remember ever hearing its breeding note while I was a dweller 

 in the district embracing what are usually called the Eastern 

 Counties. Nor yet in Herefordshire. But the note in question 

 has been sufficiently familiar to me for the last twenty years, and 

 here in North Yorkshire I hear it on all sides of me, at all hours, 

 I may say, of day and night. For two or three years in succes- 

 sion a pair took possession of a small plantation of young fir trees 

 bordering my garden lawn on the north, and only separated from 

 it by a deep ditch with a run of water at the bottom. Long 

 after the union seemed to have been formed the peculiar note was 

 kept up, and I used to see both birds within a few feet of each 

 other during its continuance. Scarcely a day passed during their 

 sojourn of eight or ten days in and about the plantation but 

 excursions were taken into the garden, frequently extending to 

 the terrace beneath my dining-room window, where sundry very 

 inquiring and interested glances not to say stares were ex- 

 changed between the visitors and myself and divers members of 

 my family. The visitors seemed very little disturbed at our 

 notice as long as we remained quite still and silent, but any 

 movement on our part led to immediate retreat on the Corn 

 Crake's. Its movements were desultory or in jerks, so to 

 speak. The bird would run ten or twelve paces in an 

 attitude and with a speed which left one in doubt for a moment 

 whether it were not some small quadruped. Then it would 



