BIRDS 265 



at the south end of Walney, and on the Sol way Firth between 

 Mowbray and Longtown. The majority of birds nestle in 

 rabbit-holes, which are variously selected, some being burrows 

 in hedge-bottoms, in preserved warrens, on mosses, and on salt- 

 marshes, but most frequently either in the sand-dunes blown 

 together by winter storms or in sandy banks. Mr. J. Cairns 

 tells me that he has watched house-hunting Sheldrakes on 

 several occasions, and found that, in the very early hours of the 

 morning, these birds examined the holes in a sandy bank beside 

 the Sark near Gretna. The male usually remained outside 

 and on the alert, while his mate rambled in and out of the 

 holes, trying first one burrow and then another. The Shel- 

 drake sometimes nestles at a very slight depth, so that a long 

 arm can easily reach the nest, but more frequently at a depth 

 of several feet. But it would be a mistake to imagine that 

 these birds nested exclusively in burrows. Every year or so 

 one or tw T o nests are found well concealed under a dense growth 

 of gorse or old heather. As lately as June 1891 James Smith 

 showed me a beautiful Sheldrake's nest in situ, i.e. under a 

 thick furze covert, on an open and much frequented common, 

 about a mile from the estuary of the Solway. When returning 

 home from the haaf-net fishing in the early morning, Smith 

 had to cross this common, and used to see several pairs of 

 Sheldrakes at that time, which from their actions appeared to 

 be nesting. On June 12th he marked a Sheldrake drop into 

 the middle of a long strip of furze, and, cutting his way with 

 much difficulty through the cover, found that the old bird had 

 made a regular run from the spot where she dropped into the 

 furze to her nest, which consisted of a depression in the soil 

 where the furze was very thick, and contained nine eggs, to- 

 gether with a more copious furnishing of down than in any 

 other nest which has come under my notice. The old bird 

 had to thread her way through the roots of the furze for. about 

 fifty yards from the spot into which she first dropped, but the 

 two runs which she had made from the nest to the outside of 

 the cover were very short. It seems probable that Sheldrakes 

 originally nested chiefly among rocks and in such thick cover as 

 that now described, and that their object in taking possession 



