1 62 Sea f^ Shore Birds 



If, in the grounds of a large garden, there is a 

 stream or a pool, a very pretty collection of the 

 smaller waders might be kept, by covering over some 

 portion of the water and part of the adjoining lawn 

 or rough ground, as the case may be, with wire of a 

 fairly large mesh, after the style of the Eastern Aviary 

 at the London Zoological Gardens. 



Here one could have oyster-catchers, curlews, 

 knots, plovers, little gulls (black-headed, for instance), 

 and perhaps some glossy ibis. The latter are charming 

 birds, and under fairly favourable conditions will breed. 



Poles with large shallow boxes on the top, on which 

 a collection of sticks could be firmly fastened with small 

 staples, would make nesting sites ; and ivy or honey- 

 suckle could be trained up the poles. 



Godwits are also pretty birds, and avocets are 

 showy and graceful. 



Then, too, there is the gorgeous scarlet ibis, a 

 magnificent touch of colour amongst the rest. 



The call notes of the wader family have a pecu- 

 liarly wild and pleasing sound, bringing back memories 

 of Atlantic waves and thrift-covered rocks. 



In a walled garden, grey and golden plover, so 

 long as marauding cats can be kept away, look very 

 pretty as they trip swiftly over a lawn, piping 

 " Tlwee — Tlwee " [with a whistling sound] as they run. 

 And they will soon come to know the time for their pan 

 of chopped meat or raw liver to be put out for them. 



During all the months of the year, except perhaps 

 January and part of February in hard winters, they 

 will find plenty of slugs and worms. 



