206 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



April 12th. — Another pairing of Eedshanks. This time it is 

 not followed by any distinctive actions on the part of either bird. 

 The curious set run, therefore, immediately after coition, which 

 I have noticed on several occasions, is not invariable. 



April 13th. — For at least an hour, but I think longer, I have 

 now watched the courting arrangements of the little Kentish 

 Plover. In all to do with the two males it resembled extremely 

 a similar episode which I have described in the case of three 

 Wheatears, but there was nothing in the nature of an antic. 

 The birds continually followed one another about, and at intervals 

 flew, sometimes at, but more frequently over, one another. Often 

 they were within an inch or two of each other, sometimes side 

 by side, but generally in single file, without any violence 

 being offered on the part of either, and anyone watching them, 

 even for a considerable time, might have thought them quite 

 friendly, and taken them, without good use of the glasses, for 

 a mated pair. It was only through more lengthened observa- 

 tion that the true position of affairs became apparent, or at least 

 certain. It was the conduct of the female,* however, that made 

 this observation a much more interesting, and indeed important, 

 one than that of the Wheatears. She remained on the scene the 

 whole time, sometimes at a greater, sometimes at a lesser dis- 

 tance from it — this largely in accordance with the direction in 

 which the rivals ran. Sometimes she was apparently indifferent, 

 being turned away, or preening herself, or both ; at other times 

 she might very well have been watching. Whether she really 

 was it would have been impossible, from these facts alone, to say ; 

 she might or she might not have been, but her real interest in 

 the matter was made known to me in a very striking and quite 

 convincing way. She was not satisfied with being a witness of 

 the scene ; she took, upon several occasions — perhaps a dozen — 

 an active part in it. Kunning down to where the two were con- 

 tending, she made little flys to one or another of them, but 

 whether to both, or one only, or one more especially, I cannot 

 say. The effect of these approaches, on the two males, was 

 always to make them more bellicose. They then flew at each 

 other, time after time, delivering, as it seemed to me, little pecks, 

 and sometimes grappling, or, at least, falling over one another. 



* The sexes are distinguishable, and I distinguished them. 



