188 



KEARTONS' NATURE PICTURES 



GOLDEN PLOVER'S NEST. 



love-note, sounding something like taludl- 

 taludl-taludl. 



The nest is a slight hollow in stunted 

 heather, coarse grass, or fringe moss, 

 and is lined with a few bits of dry 

 grass, rushes, or small sprigs of heather. 

 The eggs, numbering four, are of a 



yellowish stone or cream ground colour, 

 marked with umber-brown and blackish- 

 brown. They are very large for the 

 size of the bird, and in their natural 

 surroundings look uncommonly hand- 

 some. 



In my natal part of Yorkshire, on 

 the Pennine range, these birds generally 

 arrive near their breeding-ground in 

 rough weather, and take their departure 

 in the autumn under similar conditions. 

 They are very restless before the on- 

 coming of bad weather, and fly a great 

 deal by night. When a large flock is 

 heard flying close at hand in the dark 

 the sound of their wings cleaving the 

 air is something like the rending of 

 large sheets of linen. At such times 

 the birds frequently dash into telegraph 

 wires and decapitate themselves ; and 

 I have known them even collide with 

 a stone wall during dark misty nights. 



Many birds of this species spend 

 the winter with us on marshes and by 

 the sea, whilst others, especially during 

 hard weather, wing their way to Africa. 



