THE PEEWITS HOME 167 



magpies with which the plovers at this time wage fierce 

 and incessant war ; for if the crows have no family to 

 provide for, they are, as a rule, contented to get their 

 living honestly. The result of some nine years of 

 observations so made, goes to show that the numbers 

 both of the great plovers, or stone-curlews, and the 

 peewits are decreasing, and the demand for " plovers' 

 eggs," even though largely satisfied from abroad, must 

 probably be held responsible for the diminished numbers 

 of the last. The disappearance of the great plover is 

 even more to be regretted, for its size and upright gait 

 make it approach more nearly in appearance than any 

 other bird to the great bustard, which used once to 

 frequent the same ground ; and its strange cry when 

 on the wing is a wild and startling note among the 

 sounds of the summer night upon the hill. It is 

 difficult to account for the steady decrease of these 

 birds. They generally choose the highest and barest 

 ridges upon which to nest, and lay their eggs on some 

 stony fallow, where it seems almost impossible to detect 

 them, even though the particular field in which they 

 lie is known. A friend of the writer's once endeavoured 

 to aid him in discovering the nest by concealing himself 

 at daybreak, and watching the ground with a telescope 

 as the sun rose. But the birds quitted the field at his 

 approach, and would not return. A week later the 

 eggs were hatched, and we were so near to the young 

 that the old bird settled on the ground within forty 

 yards of us ; but so closely did they conceal themselves, 

 that the most patient search yielded no result. The 



