THE ZooLoGist—OcToBER, 1872. 3245 
during the time they were sitting, for in neither case did the male 
birds pay any attention to the females, either while sitting or 
afterwards when bringing up their broods. 
Ceci SMITH. 
Bishop’s Lydeard, near Taunton. 
The Birds of the Feroe Islands. By Capt. Henry W. FEILpEn. 
GRALLATORES. 
56. Charadrius pluvialis, Linn. Golden Plover. Native 
name, Legv.—Arrives in March and leaves in the middle of 
August, though in mild seasons some remain the winter through. 
It is very abundant as a breeding species, and is dispersed 
throughout all the islands. Herr Miiller has taken its nest with a 
full complement of eggs on the 3rd of May, 1868; on the 10th of 
May he took the eggs apparently saton for eight days. I took five 
nests on the 16th of May, in the vicinity of Nordedhal, Stromoe, 
where this bird is especially abundant; three of the nests had 
four eggs, the others three: the season was remarkably backward ; 
the hills at this date were covered and the valleys patched with 
snow, whilst blinding showers of sleet and hail were frequent. The 
inclement weather kept the golden plovers on their nests till we 
nearly stepped on them; as a rule I have found the nests difficult 
to discover. Mixed with the green moss which formed the greater 
part of the lining to the nest, I noticed many sprays of gray lichen, 
which gave a marbled appearance to the nest and matched most 
harmoniously with the colouring of the eggs. 
Obs.—No writer has hitherto noticed the gray plover (Squatarola 
helvetica) in the Feroe Islands: it must surely have been over- 
looked, or taken for the golden plover in winter plumage. 
57. Aigialites hiaticula, Linn. Ringed Plover. Native name, 
Svartholsa—Is not so numerous in Feroe as I have noticed it to 
be in some parts of Britain during the breeding season, more 
especially in the Outer Hebrides. It nests on barren stone-covered 
spots on the hill-sides, much further from the shore and at higher 
elevations than | have usually obtained it in this country: this may 
be accounted for by the precipitous nature of the sea-coast and the 
absence of shingle beaches, where this bird delights to scrape its 
SECOND SERIES—VOL. VII. 3B 
