﻿THE 
  BIRDS 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  KENT. 
  169 
  

  

  divided 
  into 
  halves 
  — 
  the 
  one 
  from 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  September 
  

   to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  March, 
  when 
  its 
  gregarious 
  habits 
  

   prevail, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  flocks 
  of 
  various 
  sizes 
  round 
  the 
  

   coast 
  ; 
  the 
  other 
  from 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  April 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  August, 
  

   when 
  it 
  frequents 
  the 
  shelly 
  beaches 
  in 
  numerous 
  pairs, 
  and 
  is 
  

   occupied 
  with 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  bringing 
  up 
  its 
  young. 
  Any 
  day 
  in 
  

   the 
  autumn 
  or 
  winter 
  one 
  may 
  notice 
  small 
  parties 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  

   searching 
  for 
  food 
  over 
  the 
  mud-flats, 
  generally 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  open 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  coast, 
  but 
  also 
  occasionally 
  along 
  the 
  narrow 
  creeks 
  

   running 
  through 
  the 
  saltings. 
  They 
  often 
  join 
  forces 
  with 
  flocks 
  

   of 
  Dunlin, 
  and, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  in 
  these 
  mixed 
  flocks 
  the 
  Dunlin 
  pre- 
  

   dominates 
  ; 
  but 
  upon 
  many 
  occasions 
  one 
  will 
  see 
  very 
  large 
  

   flocks 
  consisting 
  entirely 
  of 
  Kinged 
  Plovers. 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  at 
  

   this 
  season 
  up 
  the 
  Thames 
  to 
  within 
  six 
  miles 
  of 
  Gravesend, 
  and 
  

   up 
  the 
  Medway 
  to 
  within 
  four 
  miles 
  of 
  Eochester, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  

   numerous 
  in 
  those 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  which 
  reach 
  nearest 
  to 
  the 
  

   open 
  sea. 
  

  

  Towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  March, 
  however, 
  a 
  walk 
  along 
  the 
  shelly 
  

   beaches, 
  which 
  the 
  bird 
  does 
  not 
  frequent 
  much 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  

   months, 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  already 
  beginning 
  to 
  seriously 
  

   think 
  of 
  the 
  business 
  of 
  nesting. 
  They 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  

   of 
  early 
  spring 
  in 
  numbers, 
  playing 
  on 
  the 
  beaches, 
  although 
  

   not 
  yet 
  separated 
  into 
  pairs 
  ; 
  the 
  male 
  birds 
  indulge 
  in 
  fantastic 
  

   twisting 
  flights, 
  accompanying 
  their 
  movements 
  with 
  a 
  rolling 
  

   whistle, 
  which 
  might 
  well 
  be 
  described 
  as 
  a 
  rapid 
  repetition 
  of 
  

   their 
  ordinary 
  call-note, 
  with 
  a 
  slurring 
  of 
  one 
  note 
  into 
  another. 
  

   This 
  whistling 
  song 
  is 
  not 
  heard 
  except 
  during 
  the 
  breeding 
  

   season, 
  and 
  then 
  only 
  while 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  in 
  flight. 
  At 
  this 
  early 
  

   date 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  more 
  numerous 
  than 
  later 
  on, 
  but 
  all 
  through 
  

   the 
  season 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  certain 
  number 
  of 
  non-breeding 
  birds 
  

   present 
  about 
  the 
  beaches 
  ; 
  and 
  during 
  this 
  season 
  also 
  one 
  

   often 
  sees 
  them 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  land, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  

   fleets, 
  a 
  thing 
  which 
  one 
  never 
  notices 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  months. 
  

  

  The 
  earliest 
  date 
  on 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  nests 
  with 
  eggs 
  in 
  

   them 
  is 
  May 
  10th. 
  On 
  that 
  date, 
  in 
  1903, 
  I 
  found 
  four 
  nests 
  con- 
  

   taining 
  respectively 
  one, 
  two, 
  three, 
  and 
  four 
  eggs. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  

   of 
  the 
  nest 
  containing 
  four 
  eggs, 
  laying 
  would 
  probably 
  have 
  

   commenced 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  week 
  earlier 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  several 
  

   nests 
  I 
  found 
  hatching 
  out 
  towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  May 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

  

  