242 BIRDS OF ALDERNEY. 



Whether they breed in the island I do not know — probably not — but I 

 saw one on the wing in 1900, as late as October 8th. 



Wood Pigeon. — An egg (which was addled) was brought me in April, 1900 ; 

 it was one of two which were taken by a boy from a nest found near the 

 Terrace on April 6th. A fortnight afterwards I saw a pair of Wood 

 Pigeons flying among the trees in the upper part of the Terrace, no doubt 

 the pair that owned the nest. This bird lays very early, but it is not 

 generally known that occasionally very late broods have occurred. In the 

 month of November, 1900, a pair of Wood Pigeons hatched and success- 

 fully reared two young ones, in a tree in the Temple Gardens, close to 

 one of the busiest of London thoroughfares. 



Turtle Dove. — As there is no record of the Turtle Dove breeding in these 

 islands, it is interesting to note that an egg of this bird was brought me 

 in Alderney by a boy who called it a Stock Dove's egg, on June 23rd, 

 1899. Besides this, I have seen in Alderney, in different years, young 

 birds in immature plumage flying with the old ones at the end of May 

 and in June. 



Quail. — In Alderney there are what might be called "quail years." One of 

 them was 1899, when these birds were plentiful, and their peculiar call 

 was a familiar sound on the Blaye. The following year they were scarce, 

 and since then I have not once heard the note. During the first- 

 mentioned season Quails bred in some numbers On July 2nd, a 

 mower inadvertently smashed a nest of 13 eggs with the " heel" of his 

 scythe. On July 4th, another nest was found, but the young were 

 hatched. On July 8th, a friend of mine gave me five eggs which a 

 rascally boy had blown and strung on a coarse piece of twine. 



Corncrake or Landrail. — I heard this bird's call in several parts of 

 Alderney on May 9th, 1899, and the following year on May 7th. The 

 spring of 1902 was exceptionally cold, and Corncrakes were very late in 

 arriving ; they were first heard on May 27th. A farmer told me they 

 never expect to see Corncrake's eggs until after Midsummer Day, and my 

 earliest eggs were taken during the first week in July. But I have had 

 them as late as August 9th, and even at that date not too far incubated to 

 allow of blowing. 



Lapwing. — Very rarely seen in summer. I saw a pair on the Blaye on June 

 9th, 1899, and at the end of the same month I saw three in a field at 

 Longy. 



Kentish Plover. — Breeds every year in considerable numbers on Platte 

 Saline beach, but the eggs are extremely difficult to detect, as they lie on 

 the bare sand, without the smallest vestige of a nest, so that unless the eye 

 actually lights upon them they are undistinguishable from their sur- 

 roundings. I have found Kentish Plovers eggs at different elevations on 

 the beach, from just above the line of high water mark. My little five 

 year old son found a clutch of three eggs among tufts of Sea Holly. Eggs 

 may be found from May to about the middle of July. On one occasion, 

 when searching for eggs, I found a young bird a day or two old, like a 

 tiny ball of yellow wool the size of a small walnut, crouching under some 

 dry seaweed, while the parents were hovering round in great anxiety. I 

 never observed any eggs partially buried in the sand, as commonly stated, 

 but of course in windy weather this might be the case. 



Oyster-Cateher. — On the Islet of Burhou these birds breed plentifully, and 

 at the beginning of July I have taken a dozen eggs there in a day. As a 

 rule they are placed on the bare rock or on a ledge, without any vestige of 

 nesting materials, but in one instance the eggs were resting on a layer 

 of small rabbit bones, which did duty for a nest. The earliest eggs I 

 know of were taken on the 18th of May. 



Curlew. — It is difficult to understand why Curlews do not breed in Alderney 

 Bince they remain throughout the breeding season, although they are 



