Anglesey 



which we were proceeding. However, taking no 

 notice of this young gentleman, beyond the fact that 

 he was a ringed plover, we got up on to the grass, 

 where we were received by the female bird, equally 

 anxious to convince us that we should stand the best 

 chance of catching her if we followed her down 

 again to the shore. After a short search, we found 

 first one and then two more of the chicks, which 

 had clapped down motionless, at sign of danger, in 

 any available rut or hollow in the grass. The fourth 

 chick supposing the full brood to have been 

 brought off we failed to find, and so proceeded to 

 put the three others through their facings, with a 

 view to presenting them creditably to the world. 

 They were a most unruly trio, to say the least of 

 them. So long as we stood over them, they seemed 

 to feel the shadow of authority, and crouched to 

 earth ; but if we sat down or turned aside for a 

 moment, they got up and scattered every one his 

 own way, scudding over the turf with long legs and 

 expanded callow wings like so many miniature 

 ostriches. No sooner had we gone in chase of one 

 truant than the two others got up and made off at 

 top speed in another direction. Things became so 

 lively from this cause that we had to put them 

 under hatches in a blind rabbit-burrow, covering 

 them up with the lunch-bag whilst we made ready 

 to photograph them. 



While we were engaged with the chicks, the old 

 birds ran to and fro on the grass, or flew round in 



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