182 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



The female forms her nest in the moss or long- 

 coarse grass, near the lake, and lays three or four 

 egg's of a dull olive, marked with different-sized 

 black spots at the thicker end : it is said, she covers 

 them only during the night, or in the day when it 

 rains; at all other times she leaves the hatching of 

 them to the heat of the sun. 



This clean-looking pretty bird is common in the 

 summer months on the sea-coasts, rivers, and lakes 

 of the British Isles, and is also met with in various 

 parts of Europe, Asia, and America. It migrates 

 southward to the Mediterranean, and to the Madeira 

 and Canary Isles. 



