4210 The Zoologist — November, 1874. 



elevation. So in the Shetlands it is common at all seasons, but 

 still gives evidence of its migratory propensities, the number being 

 greatly increased for a few weeks in autumn by the very extensive 

 flocks of southward migrants which then make a call at Shetland 

 on their journey : the migrant columns are joined in passing by the 

 young birds bred in Shetland, and thus their volume is increased. 

 It is observed that the birds in these migrant flocks are tolerably 

 familiar on first arrival, but soon become wild; indeed everyone who 

 has had much experience in the matter of migrants must have 

 observed that all birds are tamer on their arrival than when they 

 have been with us a few weeks, or even days. Some attribute this 

 to excessive fatigue from having been so long on the wing; others 

 say that it is the constant persecution they meet with here that 

 causes their increased timidity. Dr. Saxby informs us the sports- 

 man experiences the greatest difficulty with young home-bred birds, 

 and that with them it is necessary to resort to sundry devices in 

 order to compass their destruction. The usual plan is for the 

 sportsman to conceal the gun and then to personate somebody else 

 or something else, crawling on all fours or walking by the side of a 

 pony, or pretending to be an old woman. Dr. Saxby himself has 

 occasionally strapped a plaid round his waist, petticoat- fashion, and 

 has thus been able to obtain several shots before the trick was 

 discovered. 



The nesting habits of the golden plover are now pretty well 

 known; year by year one or other of those genuine and original 

 observers who constitute the backbone of Ornithology, pay a visit 

 to our birds at the very period when occupied with the duties of 

 nesting, and give us minute and elaborate accounts of all they see : 

 formerly such visits and such narratives were extremely rare, now 

 happily they are extremely common ; and the future architect of a 

 Natural History of British Birds will find an immense stock of 

 sound buildings ready to his hand. Dr. Saxby contributes his 

 quota to the natural history of the golden plover. 



" In the little book called ' Birdsnestiug,' the materials of the golden 

 plover's uest are spoken of as ' scarcely any — a few fragments of heather 

 and dried grasses carelessly scraped together ; ' and ou referring to my note- 

 books I find that those very words might well have been applied to eleven 

 out of the fifteen nests of this species therein described. Occasionally, how- 

 ever, and particularly during the first few weeks of the breeding season, the 

 nest is constructed with more than ordinary care, and then consists of a 



