74 BIRDS' NESTS 



are nestless, as are also the Coursers and Pratincoles 

 and the typical Ringed Plovers. Equally crude nests 

 are made by the Plovers, Sandpipers, and Snipes, 

 forming the family Charadriidas. Of these, perhaps, 

 the nests of the Oyster-catchers are the simplest, these 

 consisting of mere hollows in the shingly beach, in 

 which the pebbles and broken shells are arranged 

 with some sort of method. Occasionally the Common 

 Oyster Catcher of the British coasts has been known 

 to deposit its eggs in rather curious situations, in the 

 deserted nest of a Herring Gull, in a cavity at the top 

 of a felled pine tree, and in a meadow far from the 

 sea. Another curious fact about the nesting of these 

 birds is their habit of forming several " mock nests " 

 near to the one that is used for the reception of the 

 eggs — a peculiarity also noticed more or less fre- 

 quently in the domestic arrangements of the Wren. 

 We have the type of a crude nest form running 

 through almost all of the remaining groups, one 

 description of cradle applying equally to the Dotterels, 

 true Plovers, Lapwings, Stilts, Avocets, Turnstones, 

 Phalaropes, Curlews, Godwits, the various Sand- 

 pipers, and the Snipes. The nest is normally placed 

 upon the ground, and consists of a hollow of varying 

 size and depth, scantily lined with dead herbage, dry 

 leaves, reindeer moss, pine needles, and so forth. The 

 Stilts make a slightly more elaborate nest, especially 

 when breeding on wet ground, often building a home 

 in shallow water. Some very curious nests of the 



