THE STILT-WALKERS. 



21 



transmitted to us, it is clear that it must have been bred on the spot. The food of this species 

 consists of various insects, larva, mussels, and similar fare. They drink much, bathe freely once or 

 twice a day, and frequently obtain their prey from under stones in or near the water." In their habits 

 they closely resemble such of their brethren as we have already described. 



The four pretty little pale reddish-yellow eggs have a delicate lustreless shell, marked and dotted 

 with grey and blackish brown, and are deposited in a slight hollow on a gravelly or pebbly bank, at 

 such a height as to be in no danger from the rising of the water. During fine days, the parents leave 



the LAPWING, OR PEEWIT (Vandliis cristatus). 



the brood exposed to the rays of the sun, but in rainy weather and at night they share the labour of 

 incubation, and sit constantly. The young are hatched in sixteen or seventeen days, and leave the 

 nest as soon as their plumage is dry, and in a few days begin to pick food. In a few days more they 

 are able to support themselves, but remain with their parents during the first migration. 



The LAPWINGS, or PEEWITS ( Vanellr), represent a family of birds characterised by their 

 size, the strength of their beak, and the height of the tarsi. The foot is, in many instances, furnished 

 with four toes. In some species the head is adorned with a crest ; some have spurs on the wings, and 

 others a remarkable development of skin at the corners of the beak. The sexes are nearly alike, and 

 the young speedily attain the plumage of the adult bird. 



