688 Staff-Surgeon K. H. Jones on Birds. 



species leave the neiglibourlioocl of Wei Ilai Wei for tlie 

 south. In habits and actions the Keutisli Plover in North- 

 East China does not appear to differ in any way from the 

 same bird in Europe. 



The number of bogus nests or scratches is astonishing, 

 and to each of them leads four tracks of the birds^ feet, in 

 the form of a cross, of which the intersection of the two 

 cross-pieces is formed by tlie scraped hollow. Of all the 

 nests observed not one was on shingle, all were on the sand, 

 but certainly shingle is not plentiful. Nearly all the nests 

 have small pieces of shell round and in them. 



Frequently eggs of the Kentish Plover were found almost 

 buried in the sand, but whether this was due to action on 

 the part of the birds, or whether the sand had simply 

 blown into this position it was impossible to make out. 

 If the eggs are purposely covered by the birds, which seems 

 probable, it may be with the double object of concealing 

 them from view and preserving them from the scorching 

 rays of a hot sun and the desiccating action of the very dry 

 wind. 



All the clutches observed were of three eggs except one, 

 which contained five, and were thought to be the produce 

 of one hen. It is of interest in this connection to observe 

 that Ticehurst, ' History of the Birds of Kent,' p. 424, 

 mentions clutches of live eggs and gives his reasons for 

 believing them to be the produce of single pairs. 



The Kentish Plovers have dark legs, and none were seen 

 with light-coloured ones, but when first hatched, and for 

 some weeks afterwards, the young shew the dark colour 

 only on the foot and the back of the tarsus. 



The earliest record of fresh eggs, a full clutch, was 

 April 28tb, and on June 18th many nests contained one and 

 two fresh eggs only, so that it is possible that this species 

 is sometimes double-brooded about Wei Hai Wei. The 

 great majority of birds begin to breed, however, during the 

 first week of June, and as they are a good deal robbed by 

 small Chinese boys, this may account for some being later 

 than others. 



