114 THE SPECIES, 



breast, which is absent in the female. ^ The flight begins with a noisy whirr which soon 

 changes into a glide with the hollow wings spread oat, to be whirred again when needful ; 

 the bird rarely flying far, and always gliding to the ground. The note is a '* kir-rik, kir- 

 rik." _ The nest is on the ground, and is a mere scratching together of weeds and leaves, 

 containing from lo to 20 eggs. 



The Red-legged Partridge — Dimensions, Lh ; Eggs, Ka— was acclimatised in this country 

 in 1770, and is now quite as common in the Eastern Counties as the Grey Partridge, from 

 which it differs in its habit of perching in trees which the other never does. The male has 

 rudimentary spurs on his legs ; the female's legs are smooth. The flight is much like the 

 other Partridge's but lighter and not so noisy. The call has been syllabised as " cock-a- 

 leekie " ; but this would seem to be more appropriate in another of the Phasianidse. The 

 nest is generally on the ground ; but somecimes on a straw stack. It is merely a scratching, 

 and contains from 10 to 18 eggs. 



Pemia. Plate xvi. FALCONIDM. 



i88. apivorus, 24 in. Honey Buzzard. Head grey ; lores feathered ; 

 upper parts brown ; lower parts brown or white, 

 blotched and barred with brown ; tail with three 

 black bars ; tarstis finely reticulate all round. 



The Honey Buzzard — Dimensions, Re ; Eggs, Nj — is a doubtful resident and not_ a very 

 common summer visitor. The flight is not unlike a buzzard's, but the bird's longer tail, more 

 pointed wings and smaller head make it easily recognisable. Its cry is '* kee, kee, kec." 

 The female has no grey on the head. The nest is like a peregrine's, but it is lined with 

 fresh green beech Tfaves^ which are renewed as they dry. I'here are from two to four 

 eggs. 



Phalacrocorax. Plate xvii. PELECANIDM, 



200. graculus, 27 in. Shag. No white In the plumage ; 12 feathers in 



tail 

 199. carho, 36 in. Cormorant. White patch on thigh ; 14 feathers 



in tail. 



The Shag — Dimensions, Rt ; Eggs, Ps — is very greenish in plumage, and in spring has a 

 crest which curls forwards. The flight is very speedy and regular. The Shag swims low in the 

 water and dives magnificently, swimming under the surface for long distances with both 

 wings and feet, and so deep does it go that it has been caught in a crabpot one hundred and 

 twenty feet down. The nest is generally in a cave, and is an odoriferous mass of seaweed, 

 grass, and heather, containing from three to five eggs. 



The Cormorant — Dimensions, St; Eggs, Qs — is almost as good a diver and a better flyer, 

 gliding straight along after a few short powerful flaps, with his wings at full stretch, his 

 neck straight out, and his legs close under his tail. In spring he has a few hair-like feathers 

 on his head, which disappear after the breeding season. These head feathers form a crest, 

 and the female's crest is the larger. In the winter there is more white in the plumage round the 

 throat. The cry is a croak. The nest is on the ledge of a cliflf, and is a large mass of sticks 

 and seaweed lined with leaves, which can generally be smelt from afar. It contains from two 

 to five eggs. It is said that the Cormorant can swim at diff'erent draughts, but as a rule he 

 swims very low, with the water awash across his shoulders, 



Plialaropua. Plate xxvii. SCOLOPACIDM. 



306. hyperboreus, 7 in. Red-Necked Phalarope. Bill thin and tapering, 



and black throughout. 



307. fulicarius, 8 in. Grey Phalarope. Bill flat and broad, and 



yellow, tipped with black ; middle tail feathers more 

 than half an inch longer than the outer ones. 



The Red-Necked Phalarope — Dimensions, Fh ; Eggs, Gq— is best known as a migrant 

 from and to its northern home, but it is resident in the Western Isles. Its name is in allusion 

 to its lobate feet, the phalara meaning fringed, and the pons, a foot. It can both fly and 

 swim. Its note is *' wick." The female is larger than the male am ' brighter in colour. The 

 nest is in a tuft in a swamp, and is made of dry grass, and contains four eggs. In winter 

 tliese birds have white foreheads, and are m_ \ whiter below. 



The Grey Phalarope— Dimensions, Gt ; Eggs, Hf— occasionally visits us in flocks, 

 apparently strayed down from the Arctic Circle. 



