7490 Birds. 



England and highlands of Scotland, and usually under a tuft of sedge 

 or grass. 



Materials. The snipe maltes a slight depression in the earth, and 

 lines it with withered grass and dried heather. 



Eggs, 3, 4. Gray, tinged with yellow or olive-green, and blotched 

 with umber-brown of two shades : they are invariably placed with the 

 small ends together in the middle. The great mass of snipes fre- 

 quenting this country in the winter leave us in the spring and breed 

 in the North of Europe. " The eggs of this bird are very variable in 

 ground-colour; sometimes dark olive-brown, sometimes dark cream 

 or stone-colour."^ — Mr. Bond. 



Dunlin, Tringa variabilis. 



Situation. On the sea-beach, among shingle at the mouth of rivers 

 in Scotland ; sometimes also in salt-marshes, and very rarely in moun- 

 tain bogs. 



Materials. A few straws or bents. 



Eggs, 4. Of an olive-green or green-gray colour, blotched all over 

 with umber-brown. "Very variable in ground-colour; pale olive- 

 green and cream-colour of various shades." — Mr. Bond. 



Landrail, Gallinula Crex. 



Situation. On the ground in meadows and underwood, sometimes 

 in fields of standing corn, generally making a slight cavity. 



Materials. Grass, sometimes leaves. 



Eggs, 10 — 15. Dingy white, tinged with rosy pink, and freckled 

 and spotted with red-brown : the young are covered with silky brown 

 down, and run as soon as hatched. 



Spotted Crake, Gallinula porzana. 



Situation. On the ground in bogs and marshes, generally in the 

 water, that is, so placed that the water permeates the lower part of 

 the nest. 



Materials. Flags, sedges, reeds, rushes, sometimes Potamogetons, 

 often forming a very large mass, apparently disproportioned to the 

 size of the bird, but having a cup-shaped depression in the middle, 

 dry, and neatly lined with the same materials only finer. 



Eggs, 8 — 10. Gray, tinged with pink, and spotted with umber- 

 brown of two shades. " The young take the water as soon as 

 hatched." — Col. Montagu. " They are of a dark bottle-green colour." 

 — Mr. Bond. 



Moorhen, Gallinula cMoropus. 



Situation. I have taken great interest in observing the nesting 

 places of this common and familiar bird, which lives with us, like the 



