9160 Birds. 
very handsome pair. Although we explored several burrows, we were 
not lucky enough to discover any nests of this species ; but I afterwards 
purchased an egg which had been taken by a boy from a burrow the 
previous day, and was still unblown. 
Crossing the sand-hills at the North-end, and proceeding along the 
west coast, I began carefully to search the shingle above high-water 
mark for eggs of the oystercatcher, ringed plover and terns, although 
as yet I was uncertain what species of the last-named I should find 
breeding there. The sloping beach was of fine sand, thickly sprinkled 
over, above high-water mark, with rough gray stones and scattered 
shells (Cardium rusticum, C. edule and Buccinium undatum), affording 
by its colour a tempting nesting-place to the waders and terns. 
Opposite to North-end and across the water rose the Cumberland 
mountains, Blackcombe and Coniston (“Coniston Old Man,” as the 
latter is called), the tops covered with snow, although it was the last 
day of May; while to the left, and the left of that again, we could see 
the Isle of Man and the Welch mountains. 
Two hundred yams off, at the edge of the water, were four oyster- 
catchers, or “Sea-pies,” as they are called, and near them a little 
flock of ringed plovers were feeding. Many times have I tried to stalk 
these oystercatchers, crawling along the ground for a considerable 
distance to try and get within range, but without success. They are 
such wary birds that, unless some boulders of rock or stone intervene 
as a screen, it is almost impossible to approach them. No one who 
has not tried it knows the luxury of standing upright, after crawling 
horizontally along the ground for two or three hundred yards, and 
I have more than once been glad to lie flaton my back on the sand to 
rest after this tiring work. A peculiarity which I have remarked with 
regard to both oystercatchers and ringed plovers when in flocks is this, 
that whenever I disturbed them, so as to cause them to fly down wind, 
they invariably turned again before alighting, so as to pitch with their 
heads to windward, and the reason of this would appear to be that in 
the event of their alighting when going down wind, if the breeze were 
strong, they would probably be carried over the edge into the water. 
Blackheaded gulls and terns were constantly passing over our heads 
as we advanced, several of the latter carrying small fish in their bills, 
and I was delighted to see, besides the common and Sandwich terns, 
several of the lesser species amongst them: they were easily dis- 
tinguished when flying in company with other terns by their size and 
by their cry, which is a single sharp note frequently repeated. 
We had not proceeded far along the shore before I almost trod upon 
