4220 The Zoologist — November, 1874. 



this by supposing that they had young ones whicli they had led away 

 for concealmeut, and that the few birds which had eggs must have 

 escaped my notice. 



" The fresh eggs found in the second nest are of a pale yellowish olive- 

 green, spotted all over, but rather more so at the broad end, where the 

 marks are also larger, with shades of brownish and purpHsh gray and deep 

 umber-brown. All are of a lengthened pyriform shape ; three measure one 

 inch two lines in length by ten lines in breadth, but the fourth is one line 

 longer and one line narrower. Those of the first set are not quite so 

 sharply pointed ; the ground colour is warmer, and the markings are of a 

 redder tinge. They all measure one inch three lines by ten lines. The single 

 egg is of the exact size of the three last described, but the ground colour is 

 darker and greener, and some of the blotches at the broad end are very 

 large. These apparently over-minute particulars are worth recording, because 

 a single difference in colouring or a variation in measurement, more or less, 

 is often supposed to be quite sufficient to decide a dispute as to species. 

 The peculiar appearance of phalarope's eggs is owing to the roundness and 

 distinctness of the markings, which for the most part are scattered all over 

 the surface, instead of being confined chiefly to one end ; the distinctness 

 of the markings is owing to the comparative scarcity of under tints. 



" WhUe wading in the swamp the first indication I had of the presence 

 of the birds was the peculiar note heard, singly at first from one individual, 

 but afterwards it was echoed from all sides by numerous voices. I scarcely 

 know to what the note can be likened, except to the word ' gulp ' uttered 

 rapidly several times in succession, and then after a pause again repeated. 

 This seems to be common to both sexes, but as they take wing the male 

 utters a sharper cry. Often when closely pursued in the water they utter a 

 loud chattering noise, at the same time swimming almost as fast as one can 

 wade. The note of the young birds is nearly similar to that of the old ones, 

 and in fine weather it can be heard distinctly when the birds are flying so 

 high as to be almost out of sight. Sometimes they fly very rapidly, but 

 uhen anxious to return to the rushes they proceed by means of a number of 

 short jerks with the wings, and then drop suddenly. As they fly overhead 

 the wing appears to form a sharper angle at the carpal joint than I have 

 observed in the sandpipers. Rednecked phalaropes seem to entertain but 

 little fear of man, and even the hateful guu itself often fails to terrify them. 

 It sometimes happens that when large shot is fired from a distance at one 

 sitting in the water it escapes untouched, although in the very centre of the 

 charge. On sucli occasions I have seen it, so far from being alarmed, rise 

 for the height of two or three feet, and after hovering over the disturbed 

 water for a few seconds alight again in the very same spot. Their behaviour 

 is sometimes quite unaccountable, at least to myself. One day early in 

 June, following up the winding coui-se of the broad quiet burn which flows 



