176 IJKITISH BIRDS. [vol. xv. 



average distance between the pairs was about three-quarters 

 of a mile. This of course did not hold good in the colony, where 

 some five or six pairs were nesting within a radius of half a 

 mile. One of the nests in the colony was in a curious place. 

 A stream running down from some higher ground had branched 

 into many parts and had intersected the soft, low-lying 

 ground so that miniature islands were formed about 3 feet in 

 height above the level of the muddy bottom of the stream. 

 On one of these hard mud islands a Turnstone had laid her 



TURNSTONE: FEMALE COVERING |. . .- 



{Photographed by Seton Gordon.) 



eggs. It was only 3 yards by 2 yards ; with the mud-trickle 

 all round it. I noted that in all the nests the beautiful, green 

 eggs lay with their pointed ends together in the centre. 

 Some of the hard browns and greys with which the eggs were 

 marked showed up in delicate and lovely contrast to the 

 exquisite green of the ground-colour, and were a sight to 

 gladden any ornithologist's heart. This nest was ver^^ quickly 

 found owing to the help of a Richardson's Skua {Stercorarius 

 parasiticus) which came up to have a look at the Turnstone's 

 eggs, and was so persistently harried by the hen bird that by 



