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Mr. C. Babnby Smith



beautiful chestnut of the breast, but the illustrations give some

indication of where these colours meet. Nothing but a colour

photograph, however, could do anything like justice to the appear¬

ance of this lovely little bird.



DESIRABLE WADERS & WATER BIRDS.


By C. Barnby Smith.


When trying, as I do in various ways, to get the members of

our Society to take an interest in some of our Northern birds, I am

never quite sure whether I should be best likened to a Pelican in

the wilderness or to a Sparrow sitting alone on the house-top. The

distinction is perhaps not material, but I do think it would be of

great advantage to the Society if members could be induced to take

more interest in birds occasionally found within the limits of the

British Isles. To give a few examples. There are few more inter¬

esting birds in their way than Water-Rails. They are always in

good feather, quite easy to keep, and look most charming running in

and out of rough herbage in a large grass run. There are lots of

details about their nesting habits which are still, I believe, obscure ;

yet does anyone ever make an attempt to try to get them to nest in

captivity ? If the attempt has been made a record of the result

would be interesting. It is worthy of note that Land-Rails have

readily nested, and the Australian Rails nest several times a season

even under adverse conditions.


Another example is the Turnstone. I wonder how many of the

somewhere about 420 members of the Society ever keep these birds or

take any interest in their quaint turnings of stones. I have always

found Turnstones quite at home in captivity, and ready to assume

breeding plumage at the right season ; and if I had the time and

money nothing would give me personally greater pleasure than to

make experiments with a view of getting them to nest. I gather

(from what is not stated in the Natural Histories) there is still

something to learn about their nesting habits.


Another most interesting bird — or rather, I should say, a

bird that one would have supposed to be interesting had the facts



