﻿ORNITHOLOGICAL 
  NOTES. 
  255 
  

  

  lay 
  was 
  the 
  true 
  nest 
  ; 
  and 
  where 
  were 
  the 
  other 
  three 
  ? 
  The 
  

   old 
  birds, 
  though 
  exceedingly 
  clamourous 
  with 
  their 
  pipings, 
  did 
  

   not 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  feign 
  injury 
  or 
  attempt 
  to 
  draw 
  us 
  away 
  from 
  

   their 
  helpless 
  young 
  one, 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  that 
  so 
  many 
  species 
  in 
  

   this 
  order 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  doing. 
  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Einged 
  

   Ploved 
  are 
  most 
  difficult 
  to 
  find, 
  and 
  one 
  might 
  look 
  over 
  acres 
  

   of 
  this 
  shingly 
  waste 
  without 
  finding 
  a 
  nest 
  ; 
  but, 
  curiously 
  

   enough, 
  though 
  one 
  hollow 
  on 
  the 
  beach 
  would 
  seem 
  as 
  good 
  as 
  

   any 
  other, 
  the 
  birds 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  their 
  own 
  particular 
  favourite 
  

   spots, 
  and 
  if 
  one 
  is 
  "in 
  the 
  know 
  " 
  it 
  is 
  far 
  easier 
  to 
  find 
  them. 
  

   The 
  fishermen's 
  lads 
  know 
  exactly 
  in 
  which 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  beach 
  to 
  

   look 
  for 
  the 
  nests, 
  and 
  are 
  quite 
  adepts 
  at 
  it. 
  The 
  pebbles 
  

   among 
  which 
  the 
  eggs 
  repose 
  exactly 
  match 
  the 
  buffish-brown 
  

   ground 
  colouring 
  of 
  the 
  eggs, 
  and, 
  furthermore, 
  the 
  pebbles 
  in 
  

   many 
  cases 
  bear 
  black 
  or 
  very 
  dark 
  spottings 
  and 
  markings, 
  

   almost 
  exactly 
  like 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  egg-shells 
  ; 
  in 
  fact, 
  several 
  

   times 
  I 
  stooped 
  to 
  pick 
  up 
  a 
  pebble 
  that 
  was 
  so 
  much 
  like 
  an 
  egg 
  

   that 
  I 
  was 
  temporarily 
  deceived. 
  

  

  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  Nesting 
  of 
  the 
  Moorhen 
  (Gallinula 
  chloropus) 
  

   and 
  the 
  Little 
  Grebe 
  (Podicipes 
  fluviatilis). 
  Eiver 
  Isis, 
  

   Bablockhythe, 
  Oxon, 
  May 
  20th-24th, 
  1904. 
  

  

  Whilst 
  staying 
  at 
  the 
  above 
  place, 
  I 
  found 
  and 
  examined 
  

   some 
  twenty-five 
  Moorhens' 
  nests, 
  and 
  I 
  now 
  have 
  pleasure 
  in 
  

   recording 
  my 
  observations 
  noted 
  on 
  the 
  spot. 
  As 
  might 
  have 
  

   been 
  expected 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  of 
  year, 
  the 
  various 
  nests 
  ranged 
  

   from 
  incomplete 
  structures, 
  through 
  others 
  containing 
  eggs 
  in 
  

   ail 
  stages 
  of 
  incubation, 
  up 
  to 
  those 
  having 
  newly-hatched 
  chicks. 
  

   Two 
  or 
  three 
  nests 
  were 
  built 
  among 
  aquatic 
  herbage 
  at 
  the 
  side 
  

   of 
  the 
  river-bank, 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  branch 
  of 
  a 
  willow 
  flung 
  down 
  into 
  

   shallow 
  water, 
  and 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  river-bed, 
  but 
  the 
  majority 
  

   were 
  constructed 
  among 
  tall 
  reeds. 
  These 
  latter 
  nests 
  are 
  

   especially 
  noteworthy 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  in 
  every 
  case 
  the 
  reeds 
  

   immediately 
  surrounding 
  the 
  nest 
  were 
  bent 
  down 
  and 
  carelessly 
  

   interlaced, 
  forming, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  bower 
  over 
  the 
  sitting 
  

  

  