﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  139 
  

  

  food 
  of 
  the 
  bird, 
  and 
  also 
  whether 
  the 
  ovaries 
  are 
  exhausted 
  or 
  in 
  

   full 
  working 
  order. 
  I 
  took 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  supposed 
  Sand 
  Grouse 
  

   and 
  also 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Water 
  Hen 
  to 
  an 
  expert 
  in 
  gems, 
  a 
  man 
  

   accustomed 
  to 
  detect 
  flaws 
  in 
  precious 
  stones. 
  He 
  at 
  once 
  said, 
  

   " 
  The 
  textures 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  eggs 
  are 
  quite 
  different 
  ; 
  as 
  different 
  as 
  polished 
  

   sandstone 
  from 
  polished 
  marble." 
  He 
  gave 
  me 
  an 
  eyeglass, 
  and 
  I 
  saw 
  

   it 
  myself. 
  Besides 
  this, 
  the 
  spots 
  on 
  the 
  Water 
  Hen's 
  eggs 
  are 
  

   brown 
  j 
  the 
  spots 
  on 
  the 
  Sand 
  Grouse 
  eggs, 
  when 
  closely 
  looked 
  

   into, 
  are 
  a 
  reddish 
  purple. 
  We 
  have 
  seen 
  no 
  young 
  birds, 
  but 
  I 
  

   think 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  but 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  got 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  eggs 
  ; 
  if 
  I 
  

   have 
  eggs, 
  some 
  one 
  may 
  have 
  young. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  birds 
  themselves, 
  

   they 
  are 
  still 
  here. 
  The 
  rabbit-catcher 
  reports 
  that 
  every 
  morning 
  

   they 
  come 
  to 
  dabble 
  and 
  bathe 
  on 
  a 
  spit 
  of 
  sand 
  running 
  into 
  the 
  

   river, 
  just 
  like 
  Peewits 
  ; 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  flocks 
  of 
  

   about 
  a 
  dozen 
  each 
  ; 
  sometimes 
  the 
  flocks 
  seem 
  to 
  join, 
  but 
  he 
  

   says 
  that 
  each 
  flock 
  seems 
  composed 
  exclusively 
  of 
  male 
  or 
  female 
  

   birds. 
  The 
  male 
  is 
  darker, 
  with 
  an 
  orange 
  mark. 
  There 
  are 
  some 
  

   bare 
  stunted 
  firs 
  on 
  the 
  links. 
  He 
  says 
  he 
  has 
  seen 
  a 
  flock 
  sitting 
  

   in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  trees. 
  I 
  was 
  returning 
  from 
  shooting 
  about 
  a 
  week 
  

   ago 
  alongside 
  a 
  fir 
  wood. 
  I 
  heard 
  a 
  " 
  sough 
  " 
  of 
  wings, 
  and 
  

   twenty-nine 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  passed 
  close 
  over 
  my 
  head 
  when 
  fairly 
  

   set 
  agoing, 
  not 
  circling 
  to 
  alight. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  there 
  is 
  any 
  

   British 
  bird 
  so 
  quick 
  on 
  the 
  wing 
  ; 
  a 
  driven 
  Grouse 
  or 
  Partridge 
  

   would 
  hardly 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  field 
  with 
  them 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  

   the 
  small 
  parrot 
  that 
  frequents 
  the 
  Indian 
  palm-trees. 
  

  

  1 
  The 
  birds 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  arable 
  land, 
  very 
  often 
  in 
  a 
  turnip 
  field, 
  

   and 
  seem 
  to 
  shift 
  their 
  ground 
  about 
  ten 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  and 
  five 
  

   in 
  the 
  afternoon. 
  They 
  come 
  to 
  bathe 
  and 
  drink 
  regularly 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  seven 
  and 
  eight 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  and 
  will 
  then 
  let 
  the 
  rabbit- 
  

   catcher 
  get 
  within 
  gun-shot, 
  though 
  at 
  other 
  times 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  

   wild. 
  When 
  the 
  birds 
  arrived 
  in 
  May 
  they 
  flew 
  with 
  a 
  cry, 
  

   " 
  Chak, 
  chak 
  " 
  ; 
  now, 
  nothing 
  is 
  heard 
  but 
  a 
  loud 
  M 
  sough 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  

   wings 
  — 
  no 
  cry. 
  There 
  are 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  Terns 
  or 
  Sea-swallows 
  

   breeding 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  Sand 
  Grouse. 
  A 
  

   number 
  of 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Tern 
  were 
  gathered 
  and 
  sold 
  as 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   of 
  the 
  Sand 
  Grouse. 
  I 
  would 
  feel 
  obliged 
  if 
  any 
  one 
  who 
  has 
  an 
  

   undoubted 
  Sand 
  Grouse 
  egg 
  would 
  tell 
  me 
  if 
  it 
  resembles 
  the 
  

   Water 
  Hen's 
  egg. 
  I 
  write 
  " 
  Water 
  Hen,' 
  as 
  in 
  Scotland 
  moor 
  hen 
  

   would 
  mean 
  a 
  grey 
  hen 
  or 
  female 
  of 
  blackcock. 
  

  

  