3900 The Zoologist — March, 1874. 



Both take about an equal share of labour. On timing them it was 

 found that if ihe female worked hardest one day, on ihe next the 

 male was most laborious. 



October '23rd. The female bird at work in the hole three minutes ; 

 the male then took his turn, the time in the tunnel for either bird 

 varying from a few seconds to about three minutes. When the female 

 flew off to feed, the male remained to watch just below the hole; after 

 his mate returned, in about twenty minutes, he at once recom- 

 menced work. They darted upwards from their perches into the 

 hole,always correctly judging the distance, at the moment of entering 

 uttering a short cry of two notes like " chi-rit." They turned when 

 in the tunnel, as they always emerged head first. Once the female 

 darted to the hole and flew back, perhaps from timidity, more likely 

 from coquetry, then sought the male, who bent down from his perch 

 and caressed her with his bill. Early in the morning, from five to 

 six o'clock, little work was done, that part of the day seeming to 

 be the time allotted for feeding, but the state of the tide might have 

 had something to do with this, as the greater part of their food is 

 procured from the mud-flats at ebb tide. 



A notable instance of their perseverance was given this season ; 

 a pair fixed for the site of their nesting-place the back of a 

 plaistered sod chimney attached to an empty cottage : they were 

 at the chimney on the 19lh of October. After commencing on the 

 egg-chamber this nest was abandoned, probably the wall not 

 afi"ording what was considered by them a sufl5cient depth for the 

 safety of their offspring. On the 3rd of November they were hard 

 at work with a fresh nest in front of the cottage, between the door 

 and a window; this was deserted for probably the same reason as 

 caused them to leave the first nest. November 14th saw the same 

 pair at work on a fresh site on the south wall of the same cottage, 

 darting upwards from a convenient rail five and six times in a 

 minute, till the hard plain surface of the wall was broken by the 

 dig of the bill. This was the difficult commencement of their toil ; 

 here was no foothold, the beak served as a pick, and a separate 

 dart upwards had to be made each time this pick was applied. 

 Alas ! their labour was again lost, three more holes were begun 

 and partly completed in that wall ; then this indefatigable pair went 

 over to the opposite end of the cottage, and, in the chimney-wall 

 they had first attacked, commenced another nesting-place, — this 

 was the seventh attempt, — on November 26th. On December 4th 



