﻿254 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  This 
  clutch 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  six 
  eggs, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  of 
  a 
  much 
  sturdier 
  

   build 
  than 
  those 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  day 
  before 
  yesterday. 
  Wheatears 
  are 
  

   called 
  "Wagtails" 
  by 
  the 
  local 
  boys. 
  

  

  Mgialitis 
  hiaticola. 
  — 
  Spent 
  a 
  considerable 
  time 
  watching 
  a 
  

   pair 
  of 
  Ring-Plovers 
  at 
  exactly 
  the 
  same 
  spot 
  where 
  I 
  saw 
  them 
  

   on 
  the 
  18th 
  ; 
  they 
  were 
  probably 
  the 
  same 
  pair. 
  Their 
  incessant 
  

   cry 
  or 
  whistle 
  was 
  a 
  plaintive 
  "pip-pip" 
  or 
  " 
  wip-wip," 
  I 
  could 
  

   not 
  determine 
  which. 
  This 
  I 
  took 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  note 
  of 
  anxiety, 
  and 
  

   was 
  repeated 
  quite 
  incessantly. 
  Only 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  times 
  during 
  

   the 
  half-hour 
  I 
  watched 
  them 
  did 
  the 
  note 
  change, 
  and 
  then 
  it 
  

   was 
  " 
  purliu 
  " 
  or 
  "wurliu." 
  At 
  each 
  utterance 
  the 
  black 
  

   erescent-like 
  gorget 
  heaved 
  up 
  and 
  down, 
  and 
  my 
  friend 
  thought 
  

   the 
  piping 
  note 
  was 
  produced 
  without 
  any 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  

   mandibles, 
  but 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  ascertain 
  this 
  myself. 
  So 
  quickly 
  

   did 
  their 
  little 
  feet 
  move 
  over 
  the 
  pebbles, 
  that 
  every 
  now 
  and 
  

   then 
  a 
  faint 
  clatter 
  was 
  audible 
  as 
  a 
  stone 
  was 
  overturned. 
  

   From 
  this 
  habit 
  of 
  theirs 
  they 
  gain 
  the 
  local 
  cognomen 
  of 
  

   " 
  Stone-runner." 
  Only 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  times 
  did 
  either 
  bird 
  pick 
  

   anything 
  up 
  in 
  its 
  beak 
  ; 
  they 
  were 
  evidently 
  not 
  intent 
  on 
  

   feeding. 
  Their 
  attitude 
  all 
  along 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  anxiety. 
  Every 
  

   now 
  and 
  then 
  one 
  would 
  stop 
  and 
  perch 
  itself 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  larger 
  stones, 
  and 
  proceed 
  to 
  scratch 
  its 
  beak 
  or 
  head 
  

   with 
  its 
  foot, 
  and 
  as 
  often 
  as 
  not 
  almost 
  toppling 
  Over 
  in 
  its 
  

   endeavours 
  to 
  preen 
  itself 
  and 
  maintain 
  its 
  balance 
  on 
  one 
  foot 
  

   at 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  Now 
  one 
  bird 
  begins 
  to 
  move 
  — 
  in 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

   short 
  sharp 
  runs 
  from 
  one 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  pebbly 
  ridge 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  — 
  

   say, 
  about 
  twenty 
  yards, 
  and 
  gradually 
  it 
  comes 
  nearer, 
  and 
  it 
  

   strikes 
  me 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  zigzagging, 
  or 
  rather, 
  perhaps, 
  lessened 
  the 
  

   distance 
  between 
  itself 
  and 
  me 
  by 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  ever-decreasing 
  

   radii, 
  with 
  the 
  nest 
  as 
  the 
  centre. 
  Such 
  proves 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  to 
  

   be 
  the 
  case, 
  for, 
  on 
  rising 
  and 
  looking 
  carefully 
  over 
  these 
  

   thousands 
  and 
  thousands 
  of 
  pebbles, 
  I 
  almost 
  tread 
  on 
  the 
  

   motionless 
  squatting 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  Ring-Plover 
  chick. 
  It 
  seems 
  a 
  

   weakling, 
  and 
  likely 
  to 
  die, 
  but 
  doubtless 
  it 
  has 
  only 
  been 
  

   hatched 
  a 
  few 
  hours. 
  I 
  doubt 
  whether 
  the 
  hollow 
  in 
  -which 
  it 
  

  

  