54 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



that Wivart's " Elements of Ornithology," and Newton's " Dictionary of Birds," 

 should be consulted ; for the last, Nitsch's " Pterylography." (Ray Society, 

 ed. Sclaterj. 



The LimicolcE, also called the Grallatores, or Waders, are chiefly frequenters of 

 water, salt or fresh, and partial to marshes ; they can be well studied on the 

 coasts at migration season. They nest on the ground, with few exceptions, and 

 lay four eggs, generally pyriform, and placed in the nest with the smaller ends 

 inwards. Exceptions to this number of eggs are, the Stone-Curlew and Courser, 

 which lay two only ; the Dotterel, Pratincole, and frequently the Woodcock, three. 



The nest is usually inartistic, being a small hollow in the ground, produced 

 presumably by the action of the beak or feet in the first place, but completed by the 

 bird revolving in the hollow, and shaping and smoothing the hole witb its breast ; a 

 common result of this is, a few loose feathers from the breast remaining as lining. 

 Sometimes feathers of other birds are intentionally introduced as lining material, 

 (the Purple Sandpiper usually collects a few cast Ptarmigan feathers for this 

 purpose), but the usual lining is grass, fine twigs, or roots ; sometimes, as in the 

 Ringed- Plovers, small rounded gravel is used. But in most cases it appears that 

 tbe lining of the nest, scrappy as it is, is chiefly added during incubation, and 

 there is little or none when the first ^^<g is laid. 



Incubation, (for which see a very good paper in the " Ibis," by W. Evans, 

 1891, pp. 52-93), lasts from twenty days, (Woodcock and Snipe), to twenty-nine, 

 (Curlew). The male birds do most of the sitting, as in the Order Ratita, (Emeus, 

 Cassowaries, Ostriches). Professor Newton thinks that this is only the case in those 

 species in which, the female is larger and more brightly coloured than the male, 

 e.g., the Painted Snipes and Phalaropes. I have found it to be the rule with 

 most LimicolcE which I have had the opportunity of observing. Incubation does 

 not commence till after the last ^^g is laid, as it is desirable that all the young 

 birds, being able to run at once, should be hatched simultaneously. Probably 

 only one brood in the season is the rule, but evidence of this is hard to come 

 by. The first birds to reappear on our coasts in autumn are old birds in faded 

 breeding dress, whose nests and eggs, or perhaps mates, have presumably come 

 to a bad end ; next come the young birds, and finally tke bulk of the old ones. 



The song is generally inartistic also, but often very pleasing. Temminck's 

 Stint has a pretty little warble in the breeding season. 



Many individuals clearly do not breed in their first year, — i.e., not until they 

 are two years old, — and are found on the sea coasts some distance to the south 

 of their true breeding range. This will explain the summer stragglers, like 

 the Whimbrels on the Norfolk coast in summer. 



