﻿176 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid 
  is 
  of 
  course 
  usually 
  two 
  or 
  three, 
  

   but 
  I 
  have 
  one 
  note 
  of 
  a 
  nest 
  found 
  on 
  June 
  12th, 
  1903, 
  with 
  

   four 
  eggs 
  in 
  it, 
  which 
  showed 
  such 
  strong 
  resemblances 
  to 
  each 
  

   other 
  as 
  to 
  leave 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  all 
  laid 
  by 
  the 
  one 
  

   bird. 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  markings 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  laid 
  in 
  this 
  

   colony 
  vary 
  much 
  more 
  than 
  do 
  those 
  of 
  eggs 
  found 
  on 
  Dunge- 
  

   ness 
  Beach. 
  In 
  the 
  latter 
  district 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  have 
  

   a 
  sandy 
  ground 
  colour, 
  with 
  both 
  the 
  underlying 
  and 
  surface 
  

   spots 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  minute, 
  almost 
  approaching 
  in 
  fineness 
  the 
  

   spots 
  on 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  a 
  Einged 
  Plover 
  ; 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  variety 
  

   to 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  Dungeness 
  Beach 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  ground 
  colour 
  is 
  

   a 
  creamy 
  white, 
  and 
  the 
  spots 
  are 
  nearly 
  black, 
  and 
  almost 
  large 
  

   enough 
  to 
  be 
  called 
  blotches. 
  This 
  last 
  variety 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  

   common 
  on 
  the 
  North 
  Kent 
  beaches, 
  but 
  the 
  variations 
  of 
  both 
  

   the 
  ground 
  colour 
  and 
  the 
  markings 
  show 
  many 
  more 
  grades 
  

   between 
  the 
  two 
  types. 
  One 
  might 
  almost 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  ground 
  

   colour 
  ranges 
  from 
  a 
  pale 
  blue, 
  through 
  white, 
  creamy 
  white, 
  

   and 
  sandy, 
  to 
  a 
  brown, 
  almost 
  as 
  deep 
  as 
  some 
  Gulls' 
  eggs 
  ; 
  and 
  

   the 
  markings 
  from 
  small 
  spots 
  to 
  large 
  blotches, 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  

   an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  similar 
  in 
  character 
  to 
  those 
  often 
  seen 
  on 
  

   Sandwich 
  Terns' 
  eggs. 
  One 
  abnormally 
  coloured 
  clutch 
  looked 
  

   remarkably 
  like 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Mistle- 
  Thrush, 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  of 
  

   a 
  delicate 
  blue 
  ground 
  colour, 
  with 
  only 
  two 
  spots. 
  I 
  will 
  confess 
  

   that 
  this 
  clutch 
  found 
  its 
  way 
  into 
  my 
  cabinet. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  often 
  wondered 
  whether 
  the 
  instinct 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  is 
  

   ever 
  at 
  fault 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  positions 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  place 
  their 
  nests 
  

   with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  tide. 
  In 
  one 
  instance 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  nest, 
  on 
  

   June 
  1st, 
  1902, 
  with 
  the 
  bird 
  sitting 
  on 
  three 
  eggs, 
  on 
  a 
  spot 
  

   which 
  at 
  some 
  time 
  during 
  the 
  following 
  fortnight 
  was 
  swept 
  

   by 
  the 
  tide, 
  the 
  small 
  piece 
  of 
  beach 
  having 
  been 
  washed 
  

   right 
  away, 
  leaving 
  the 
  bare 
  clay 
  exposed. 
  When 
  I 
  first 
  found 
  

   this 
  nest 
  the 
  bird 
  was 
  so 
  keen 
  on 
  returning 
  to 
  its 
  eggs 
  that 
  it 
  

   settled 
  on 
  them 
  while 
  I 
  was 
  sitting 
  on 
  the 
  beach 
  with 
  a 
  friend 
  in 
  

   full 
  view, 
  and 
  not 
  fifteen 
  yards 
  distant. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  probable 
  

   that 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  then 
  in 
  a 
  forward 
  state 
  of 
  incubation, 
  and, 
  if 
  

   so, 
  were 
  possibly 
  hatched 
  out 
  before 
  the 
  tide 
  came 
  over 
  the 
  

   place. 
  At 
  Easter 
  of 
  1903 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  high 
  spring 
  tide, 
  

   backed 
  up 
  by 
  a 
  strong 
  easterly 
  wind, 
  when 
  only 
  very 
  narrow 
  

   strips 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  beach 
  were 
  above 
  water. 
  If 
  

  

  