Anglesey 



grown bird ; whilst the bill, and the legs and feet, 



were of a slaty hue, and were just as far from the 



orange-red bill and pinkish legs and feet of the adult 



state. The hatching of these chicks was the most 



startling transformation I have ever witnessed. 



Within a couple of days the birds were in the shells / 



and running about fledged as shown in the picture. / $ 4 



The unusually large size of the egg, no doubt, has 



its result in the early equipment of the young, 



which at birth are furnished with bill and legs of 



extraordinary size and strength. By photographing 



them on the morning of the 8th June, I was only 



just in time, for when I passed the nest in the 



evening of the same day they had left it, and from 



the behaviour of the old birds it was evident that 



they already had their young ones abroad in the 



bracken. 



How differently the oyster-catcher makes its 

 nest under varying conditions may be judged by 

 a comparison of this nest with the picture of one 

 which we found on the rocks. In the latter case, a 

 most remarkable structure had resulted from the use 

 of chippings of rock found on the nesting site, 

 the nest being encircled by a regular rampart made 

 from them. 



While I was attempting to obtain pictures of 

 some old birds on the wing, I soon observed that 

 their actions betrayed anxiety for something other 

 than their own safety. I was evidently near a third 

 nest. I examined the surface of the rocky point 



199 



