﻿ORNITHOLOGICAL 
  NOTES. 
  251 
  

  

  many 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  wheeling 
  about 
  over 
  the 
  shingle, 
  a 
  boy 
  

   accosted 
  me, 
  and 
  offered 
  a 
  clutch 
  of 
  four 
  Kentish 
  Plover's 
  eggs 
  

   for 
  ten 
  shillings. 
  This 
  I 
  declined, 
  since, 
  if 
  it 
  comes 
  to 
  buying 
  

   eggs, 
  one 
  can 
  purchase 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  species 
  for 
  about 
  

   fivepence 
  each 
  at 
  any 
  naturalist's, 
  though 
  I 
  suppose 
  at 
  that 
  price 
  

   they 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  "British." 
  This 
  fellow 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  if 
  

   I 
  would 
  not 
  have 
  them 
  at 
  ten 
  shillings, 
  he 
  would 
  send 
  them 
  to 
  a 
  

   man 
  who 
  would 
  always 
  give 
  him 
  twenty 
  shillings 
  for 
  a 
  clutch 
  of 
  

   Kentish 
  Plover's 
  eggs. 
  This 
  clutch 
  was 
  a 
  great 
  temptation 
  to 
  

   me, 
  since 
  I 
  had 
  not 
  then, 
  and 
  have 
  not 
  now, 
  any 
  specimens 
  in 
  my 
  

   collection 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  happy 
  to 
  think, 
  though 
  I 
  question 
  whether 
  

   I 
  did 
  any 
  good 
  in 
  so 
  doing, 
  that 
  I 
  resisted 
  the 
  temptation 
  of 
  

   taking 
  those 
  eggs. 
  It 
  brought 
  home 
  very 
  forcibly 
  to 
  me 
  the 
  

   appalling 
  traffic 
  in 
  British-found 
  eggs. 
  These 
  fellows 
  keep 
  a 
  

   sharp 
  eye 
  on 
  all 
  eggs 
  that 
  have 
  a 
  value, 
  and 
  ruthlessly 
  plunder 
  

   every 
  nest 
  to 
  satisfy 
  the 
  demands 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  collector." 
  The 
  

   fiskerfolk 
  are 
  poor, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  their 
  fault 
  that 
  they 
  should 
  

   seek 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  turning 
  over 
  a 
  few 
  shillings 
  when 
  possible 
  ; 
  it 
  

   is 
  the 
  collector 
  who 
  creates 
  the 
  demand, 
  and 
  an 
  evil 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   time, 
  and 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  a 
  demand 
  exists 
  there 
  must 
  necessarily 
  be 
  

   those 
  who 
  will 
  lay 
  themselves 
  open 
  to 
  satisfy 
  it. 
  Later 
  in 
  the 
  

   day 
  another 
  boy 
  brought 
  me 
  two 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Common 
  Tern 
  

   ("Kips" 
  they 
  call 
  them). 
  As 
  these 
  birds 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  com- 
  

   mon, 
  I 
  took 
  them, 
  though 
  rather 
  reluctantly. 
  The 
  youthful 
  

   populace 
  of 
  this 
  district 
  are 
  caddies, 
  and 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  

   filling 
  this 
  office 
  they 
  are 
  relentless 
  egg-hunters. 
  

  

  May 
  18th. 
  

  

  ^Egialitis 
  hiaticola.— 
  Saw 
  the 
  first 
  Panged 
  Plovers 
  about 
  half- 
  

   way 
  between 
  Littlestone 
  and 
  Dymchurch 
  ; 
  watched 
  them 
  run- 
  

   ning 
  about 
  the 
  shingle 
  for 
  some 
  time, 
  and 
  felt 
  convinced 
  there 
  

   was 
  a 
  nest 
  near 
  at 
  hand, 
  but 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  locate 
  it. 
  They 
  (for 
  

   it 
  was 
  a 
  pair 
  under 
  observation) 
  seemed 
  full 
  of 
  anxiety 
  and 
  

   uneasiness, 
  and 
  incessantly 
  kept 
  up 
  their 
  tremulous 
  piping. 
  

   After 
  accomplishing 
  each 
  little 
  run 
  forward 
  over 
  the 
  pebbles 
  

   they 
  would 
  pause, 
  and 
  seem 
  to 
  cast 
  a 
  sidelong 
  glance 
  at 
  one 
  

   another. 
  

  

  Alauda 
  arvensis. 
  — 
  Sky-Larks 
  exceedingly 
  numerous; 
  in 
  

  

  