SPRING MIGRATION IN THE HUMBER DISTRICT. 413 



canard about the French savant and the locusts, we can speculate 

 as to our fate if they elect to settle down upon us. The closely 

 packed nests, on the boggy land around the ponds, contained three 

 eggs, and in a few cases four. Several were placed in some low- 

 growing Scotch firs, in one case fully twenty feet from the ground ; 

 also on the planks and cross-pieces of a long foot-bridge con- 

 necting the ponds. None of the birds showed the slightest trace of 

 immaturity. Their greatest enemies are pilfering Daws which 

 take the eggs, and Rats which destroy both eggs, young, and the 

 sitting birds. At this date some young were already hatched. 

 Eight, presumably male, Sheldrakes were present on the ponds, 

 and probably represented the same number of females sitting 

 on eggs, in holes and old rabbit-burrows on the neighbouring 

 common. 



On the 20th there were a few Grey Plovers — on passage to 

 the northern tundras — on the Humber muds. Most of these were 

 remarkably fine birds in full nuptial attire. The standing figure 

 given of this species in the breeding dress in Yarrell's ' British 

 Birds,' vol. iii. p. 278, gives but a very imperfect idea of the real 

 beauty of the Grey Plover at this season, for the engraving quite 

 fails to show the strongly contrasting white border to the sides 

 of the black throat and breast, which serves to set off the black, 

 and makes the bird so very conspicuous an object on the coast, 

 and readily distinguishable at great distances. Lord Lilford's 

 plate, in the last issued part of the ' Coloured Figures of British 

 Birds,' is excellent, although the dark parts might very well be 

 represented even darker. 



The result of a day's ramble on the Lincolnshire sea-coast on 

 the 23rd was rather disappointing, for comparatively few waders 

 were seen. There was a good sprinkling of Dunlin in summer 

 plumage, and also Ringed Plover. On the " fitties " noisy Lap- 

 wings and several pair of Redshanks, the latter drifting to and 

 fro with pendulous wings, above what was probably their nesting 

 quarters, all this time giving utterance to a quickly repeated 

 querulous note which resembled the word " che-ic." On the 

 skirts of the " fitties," where the bright green patches of Zoster a 

 grow, were a few Grey Plovers in summer plumage, and, very 

 conspicuous on a higher patch of sand and mud, eight or nine 

 red Godwits, beyond these again two blue Herons fishing in 

 a tidal pool — all these Plovers, Godwits, and Herons almost 



