218 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



On the 19 th Ma}' I was rather surprised to disturb three 

 Kentish Plovers feeding along the edge of a swamp three miles in- 

 land. There was no doubt about them, as I had a good view of them 

 through the glasses, and could see the broken pectoral band. On 

 the 20th May I was watching a pair for some little time on the 

 beach near Littlestone. As it was a bright sunny day I found 

 them comparatively easy to follow with the glasses. Occasionally 

 they came so close to me that I was able to distinguish all 

 the details of their plumage. They have a whistling call-note, 

 which is not unlike that of a Ringed Plover abruptly cut short 

 in the middle. 



I should say that the Stone Curlew was, if anything, more 

 numerous than in 1900. I saw during my stay nine birds in 

 distinctly different parts of the beach. The fisherman, men- 

 tioned above, told me that he had seen in the course of two days 

 birds of this species which he considered represented twelve 

 distinct pairs. (This was during the time of my visit.) And 

 that during the previous autumn (1901) he had counted forty- 

 eight birds in one flock, and had also disturbed numerous single 

 birds close to where he had seen the large flock. From informa- 

 tion given me by him and others, I counted that at least six 

 clutches of eggs had already been taken on the beach that season. 

 (May 16th, 1902.) 



I spent some time watching one of these birds, which I found 

 on the 5th May sitting on a single egg. The bird rose from the 

 beach, close to a patch of broom and mossy ground surrounded 

 by shingle, when I was about fifty yards distant from it. I found 

 afterwards that it must have risen right off its egg. It flew away 

 close to the shingle, and after it had topped the first ridge of 

 pebbles I did not see it again, although I heard two soft whistles 

 a little while afterwards. The nest hollow was scratched out 

 close to a dead broom bush, in a spot where earth and pebbles 

 were mingled together. I visited the nest again on the 7th May, 

 this time coming up to it from a different direction where some 

 furze bushes gave a little shelter. When about forty yards 

 distant I saw the bird move off its egg, run a few yards, and then 

 crouch down on the beach. On my standing still and looking at 

 it through the glasses it flew away, never rising more than five 

 feet above the surface of the beach, and flying with very little 



