18 The Zoologist — January, 1866. 



there was a mass, about three inches and a half in thickness, of coarse 

 roots, and pieces of dried, brittle elder-twigs, entirely filling the fork ot 

 the branch. The outer portion of the nest itself was composed of 

 coarse roots and stalks of plants, and next to this was a layer of very 

 fine roots ; then came a layer of curved, white ducks' feathers, and 

 lastly a thick layer of wool intermixed with the hair of cows and horses. 

 The straggling appearance of the nest was partly due to the very 

 unusual addition of large quill-feathers about the upper edge, the 

 longest measuring eight inches in length. The inside diameter of the 

 nest was about three inches. Nearly a fortnight ago, a cottager's boy 

 found a nest of six young twites, among the heather, in a slight hollow 

 which the heavy showers of the previous night had partly filled with 

 water. Seeing that the young birds were nearly dead, he carried them 

 home, and, by the help of a warm fire and plenty of wool, succeeded so 

 far in restoring four of them that they were very soon able to take food. 

 Two days later, observing the parent birds still in the neighbourhood, 

 he replaced the nest and its contents, the ground having now become 

 dry, and almost immediately afterwards he saw them carrying food to 

 the nestlings. Several days after that, fearing that the latter would be 

 discovered by other boys, and thinking that they were sufficiently 

 strong to do without their parents' care, he once more took them home 

 and fed them as before, but, to his surprise, the old birds, probably 

 attracted by their cries, very soon discovered them, and ever since that 

 time they have been unwearied in their attention, coming through the 

 open window without the smallest sign of fear, although the room is 

 almost constantly occupied by the cottager and his family. 



Golden Plover. — Golden plovers are still in very large flocks. They 

 are now in excellent condition for the table. In the daytime they 

 are very wild, but early in the morning and late in the evening, when 

 they are upon the low grounds, it is comparatively easy to approach 

 them. Newly arrived flocks, although tolerably familiar at first, soon 

 become very wild; but it is with the home-bred birds that the sports- 

 man experiences the greatest difficulty, and with them it is often 

 necessary to resort to various devices in order to get within shot. 

 The most usual of these are, keeping the gun out of sight, crawling 

 upon "all fours," or walking up beside a pony. In some parts of the 

 hills, which are frequently crossed by peat-women, — seldom by any 

 men except those who carry guns, — I have occasionally resorted to the 

 device of strapping a plaid round my waist, petticoat-fashion (peat- 

 women dispense with crinoline on week-days), and by such means I 



