Mr. \Y. H. Teschem-aker



voungster on the :o'.'.owing cay. The male used to keep watch

.1 from certain co gns of vantage and pass the word to

the female when anyone approached the aviary and the latter

would at once spring from her nest : I noticed that she never

>pted the precatit on of running some d stance through the

ass u ore tak ng \ ng, as her en.d and neighbour the heu

Ye o\\ Wagra a ly used to do Probably on the bare,


pen stretches of country affected by this species the ruse

would be of no avail.


ting as very other instances which have


came under my notice, did not show any protective colouration :

they had dense matted tuffs of .vhite down, n t :e crown, and

• and these, with the \ de cream-coloured nances of the

..... them conspicuous objects among the green grass.


almost th 11k that they realized this fact and tried to

■leatrahae the effect, for they managed to fatten themselves

down in their shallow nest ca such a way that they could


not have looked f _ ii a garden-ro er had been passed over


est f . grew ast despite the act that they had ver

little brooding and had to face exceedingly had weather. For

stance, the ist of July, at 6.30 was as wintry a morning as


1 ever remember in a r Engl sh sum uer The rat:: was coming

1 torrents, the id bk \ hard n the orth and it was

e y cold Nevertke ess the usua sup pi es had to as carried

.md, desuite all possible despatch the operation teak



Quite ten in 1 nut



es Ar



h. the fern



ale as nsual



left the



nest, and my sympathies went 01



it to the



unfortunate



> cung



as thus e:



t unprotected. In



order to



shorts the



ordeal



for them I had :



not intended to pay



t h em my i



trsua. in 01 n



- sit



but my enriosi



as a: a use a 1



said : 0 m se . : I



- a e a 1 a



never have a be



tter opportunity of



ascerta



ng hew the



young



of g round- nesti



g ■ ds manage to



. e a



. ecu: nirons



down-



pour 01 rain in



oven nests. So I



changed



my mind, an



d I am



glad I did. for I as ev deb cue cf these rare peeps


to the ste es d- e v c.e the special pr ege c:


the i c .a: st 1 had a ctured to ru se the ■ curtg Fa ... a.


ng helplessly n a w ate: legged ues: bn: I had Quite overlooked

: e act that a the r hour of great distress they had a counsellor



