﻿170 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  year, 
  the 
  first 
  eggs 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  laid 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  week 
  in 
  

   the 
  month 
  ; 
  and 
  with 
  several 
  nests 
  found 
  in 
  1902, 
  calculating 
  

   back 
  from 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  hatching 
  out, 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  laying 
  

   would 
  also 
  be 
  the 
  first 
  week 
  in 
  May. 
  Other 
  nests 
  found, 
  in 
  which 
  

   the 
  first 
  egg 
  was 
  laid 
  towards 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  June, 
  were 
  probably 
  

   second 
  broods, 
  though 
  this 
  it 
  is 
  hardly 
  possible 
  to 
  prove. 
  

  

  The 
  laying 
  of 
  eggs 
  in 
  individual 
  nests 
  seems 
  to 
  take 
  place 
  at 
  

   irregular 
  periods. 
  Thus 
  a 
  nest 
  found 
  containing 
  one 
  egg 
  on 
  

   May 
  10th, 
  1903, 
  had 
  only 
  three 
  eggs 
  in 
  it 
  on 
  May 
  16th. 
  A 
  nest 
  

   found 
  on 
  June 
  12th, 
  1903, 
  with 
  two 
  eggs 
  in 
  it, 
  had 
  the 
  third 
  egg 
  

   laid 
  on 
  June 
  14th, 
  and 
  the 
  fourth 
  egg 
  not 
  until 
  June 
  17th 
  ; 
  but 
  

   wet 
  and 
  cold 
  weather 
  had 
  intervened 
  in 
  both 
  these 
  cases, 
  and 
  no 
  

   doubt 
  influenced 
  the 
  birds. 
  The 
  latest 
  date 
  at 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  

   found 
  fresh 
  eggs 
  was 
  June 
  28th, 
  1902, 
  a 
  nest 
  containing 
  four 
  

   eggs 
  being 
  found 
  on 
  that 
  date, 
  and 
  one 
  being 
  blown 
  to 
  test 
  the 
  

   freshness 
  proved 
  them 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  quite 
  recently 
  laid. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  never 
  had 
  sufficient 
  time 
  at 
  my 
  disposal 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  

   watch 
  closely 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  one 
  nest 
  right 
  through, 
  but 
  incuba- 
  

   tion 
  must 
  occupy 
  fully 
  nineteen 
  days, 
  for 
  a 
  nest 
  found 
  on 
  May 
  

   31st, 
  1903, 
  contained 
  as 
  a 
  full 
  clutch 
  only 
  two 
  eggs, 
  which 
  did 
  not 
  

   hatch 
  out 
  until 
  June 
  18th 
  ; 
  but, 
  not 
  having 
  had 
  the 
  nest 
  under 
  

   observation 
  previous 
  to 
  May 
  31st, 
  I 
  was 
  ignorant 
  as 
  to 
  when 
  the 
  

   bird 
  began 
  to 
  sit. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  fair 
  to 
  assume 
  from 
  these 
  notes 
  that 
  the 
  Ringed 
  Plover 
  

   takes 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  week 
  to 
  lay 
  its 
  clutch 
  of 
  four 
  eggs, 
  the 
  interval 
  

   between 
  the 
  layings 
  being 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  three 
  days. 
  

   Of 
  course 
  the 
  hatching 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  is 
  not 
  spread 
  over 
  such 
  a 
  

   period 
  of 
  time, 
  according 
  to 
  my 
  experience 
  extending 
  only 
  over 
  

   about 
  twenty-four 
  hours. 
  A 
  nest 
  found 
  on 
  May 
  31st, 
  1903, 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  four 
  eggs, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  young 
  birds 
  could 
  be 
  distinctly 
  

   heard 
  tapping 
  on 
  the 
  shells. 
  Visiting 
  this 
  the 
  next 
  day, 
  I 
  found 
  

   that 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  chicks 
  had 
  already 
  left 
  the 
  nest, 
  and 
  were 
  nowhere 
  

   to 
  be 
  seen 
  ; 
  the 
  third 
  chick 
  was 
  crouching 
  near 
  the 
  nest 
  quite 
  

   strong 
  and 
  lively, 
  and 
  able 
  to 
  run 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  fourth 
  was 
  still 
  in 
  

   the 
  nest-hollow, 
  quite 
  wet, 
  having 
  evidently 
  not 
  long 
  got 
  free 
  of 
  

   its 
  egg-shell, 
  and 
  too 
  weak 
  yet 
  to 
  stand 
  up. 
  Notwithstanding 
  

   the 
  evident 
  very 
  recent 
  hatching 
  of 
  this 
  chick, 
  I 
  could 
  find 
  no 
  

   trace 
  of 
  egg-shells 
  near 
  the 
  nest. 
  In 
  another 
  instance, 
  a 
  nest 
  

   first 
  found 
  on 
  May 
  31st, 
  1903, 
  with 
  a 
  full 
  clutch 
  of 
  four 
  eggs, 
  had 
  

  

  