24 WILDFOWL AND SEA-FOWL OF GREAT BRITAIN 



There it goes, one leg broken and a wing tipped ; 

 now both wings are crippled, and it tries to raise 

 its useless wings, but all to no purpose ; it drops 

 on its breast, throws its head back with the eyes 

 half-closed, as much as to say, " I am done for." 

 Nothing of the kind ; it scuffles out of sight some- 

 how, and you pass on. Presently you see a wounded 

 bird trying to keep from falling ; it is no use, for 

 the poor creature drops, spreads out its tail and 

 wings as some species do at the last gasp, and lies 

 there, to all appearance dead. It is nothing but 

 sheer humbug, the whole of it ; on a near approach 

 the bird shoots up and away, piping in the most 

 cheerful and contented manner : these consummate 

 arts have only been gone through to lure you away 

 from the vicinity of its eggs or young. You might, 

 in fact, be standing over a nestling and not see it ; 

 unless the toe of your boot caused the tiny creature 

 to move from where it had squatted ; when the 

 young are alarmed they scatter out. 



I have had many hunts after the Ring Dotterel's 

 eggs and young in past days, and to little purpose ; 

 I have seen both, but not too often, although the 

 birds were breeding in detached pairs all around my 

 boyhood's home. For the whole of one afternoon 

 did a pair of these birds baffle four of the keenest 

 beach-hunters I knew, although the young ones 

 were all piping for their parents, close round them. 

 This is a matter of common occurrence. You will 

 hear it frequendy said, "We're goin' on the hunt 

 for Sand Larks' eggs, but we don't expect to have 



