The Zoologist — November, 1874. 4211 



deep saucer-shaped cavity, thickly and compactly lined with the above- 

 mentioued materials, measuriug between five and six inches across. It is 

 almost invariably situated among moss or heather, sometimes by the side of 

 a stone, or upon some slight eminence where there is sufficient growth to 

 afford concealment. The only opportunity which has fallen to my lot of 

 observing the length of time occupied by incubation occurred three years 

 ago. About noon on the Tth of May I found four warm eggs, and on 

 blowing one ascertained that it was perfectly fresh. I afterwards visited 

 the nest almost daily, and on the evening of the 23rd observed that two of 

 the remaining three eggs were already broken by the chicks. Next morning 

 on my approaching the nest, three young birds, mottled gray or yellow, ran 

 out of the neighbouring heather; there was no appearance of broken shells 

 in or near the nest. I have never known the male take any part in the 

 task of incubation, although he is very attentive to his mate, and constantly 

 supplies her with food while she is sitting; but both birds are so shy that 

 at such times their habits can be witnessed only by means of long and 

 patient watching from some good hiding place, such as a large stone or the 

 deep channel of a burn. "While the female is sitting the male takes his 

 station upon some eminence near the nest, giving warning by his loud 

 peculiar whistle the moment an intruder appears." — P. 160. 



The eggs of the golden plover vary greatly, but can scarcely be 

 taken for those of any other species that nests in this country, 

 except perhaps the lapwing; and they are always larger and more 

 richly coloured than these. I cannot commend too highly the 

 careful manner in which Dr. Saxby has described these eggs. 

 I believe we have yet to learn the full value of these details. 



" I have long observed with no little perplexity the remarkable variety of 

 colour which occurs in the eggs of the golden plover, and the regularity 

 with which each colour in its turn predominates according to the degree of 

 advancement of the season. Every year I see large numbers of the eggs, 

 and the general rule aj)pears to be that those which are laid early in the 

 season have a dingy hue, the ground colour being strongly tinged with dull 

 olive-green, and that a little later this begins gradually to become less 

 frequent, giving place to creamy white, sometimes richly tinged with warm 

 yellowish brown ; the latter is deepest and most common in June and July, 

 when the breeding season is drawing to its close. At this time also the 

 spots and blotches are very abundant and are more of a reddish brown 

 colour. Possibly the dingy and earlier eggs are those of older birds. The 

 most beautiful variety is of a warm cream-colour, with intensely deep brown 

 blotches or spots, and with numerous large spots of light purplish gray. 

 The usual size is about two inches in length by one inch and a half in 



