﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  173 
  

  

  close 
  past, 
  and 
  across 
  our 
  line 
  of 
  march, 
  uttering 
  a 
  low, 
  plaintive, 
  

   plover-like 
  call 
  — 
  once 
  heard, 
  not 
  easily 
  to 
  be 
  forgotten. 
  Feilden 
  

   and 
  I 
  agreed 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  female 
  bird, 
  from 
  the 
  brightness 
  of 
  

   the 
  chestnut 
  colouring, 
  which 
  was 
  distinctly 
  visible 
  as 
  it 
  passed 
  

   us. 
  1 
  We 
  now 
  marked 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  I 
  had 
  first 
  seen 
  it, 
  by 
  

   laying 
  one 
  small 
  grey 
  stone 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  a 
  larger, 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  

   short 
  search 
  for 
  the 
  other 
  bird, 
  in 
  which 
  we 
  were 
  not 
  successful, 
  

   we 
  went 
  away 
  again 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  range. 
  After 
  an 
  hour 
  

   or 
  so 
  we 
  returned 
  again 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  end, 
  Feilden 
  walking 
  in 
  the 
  

   centre, 
  and 
  the 
  keeper 
  and 
  myself 
  on 
  either 
  side, 
  lower 
  down 
  the 
  

   hill 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  in 
  advance. 
  On 
  arriving 
  near 
  the 
  place, 
  Feilden 
  

   detected 
  the 
  female 
  running 
  a 
  considerable 
  way 
  off 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  him, 
  

   and 
  I 
  saw 
  the 
  male 
  bird, 
  which 
  ran 
  from 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  nest, 
  

   or 
  at 
  least 
  from 
  where 
  we 
  supposed 
  it 
  to 
  be, 
  in 
  a 
  diametrically 
  

   opposite 
  direction 
  from 
  that 
  chosen 
  by 
  the 
  female. 
  We 
  now 
  made 
  

   sure 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  or 
  young 
  were 
  not 
  far 
  distant 
  ; 
  while, 
  at 
  the 
  

   same 
  time, 
  we 
  learned 
  that 
  we 
  had 
  two 
  most 
  cunning 
  parents 
  to 
  

   circumvent. 
  Far, 
  indeed, 
  were 
  they 
  from 
  being 
  the 
  14 
  little 
  fools 
  " 
  

   (moiinelli), 
  which 
  Linnaeus 
  named 
  them. 
  

  

  'After 
  a 
  consultation, 
  it 
  was 
  agreed 
  to 
  leave 
  me 
  to 
  watch, 
  

   whilst 
  Feilden 
  and 
  the 
  keeper 
  again 
  went 
  off 
  to 
  a 
  distance. 
  

   Accordingly, 
  I 
  lay 
  down, 
  partially 
  concealed 
  by 
  a 
  hummocky 
  piece 
  

   of 
  mossy 
  ground, 
  about 
  fifty 
  yards 
  from 
  the 
  place 
  whence 
  Feilden 
  

   had 
  seen 
  the 
  female 
  run. 
  The 
  keeper 
  afterwards 
  told 
  me 
  that 
  I 
  

   was 
  absolutely 
  invisible 
  from 
  a 
  distance, 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  my 
  clothes 
  

   harmonising 
  admirably 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  yellowish-brown 
  moss. 
  

   For 
  an 
  hour 
  I 
  remained 
  almost, 
  if 
  not 
  quite, 
  immovable, 
  and, 
  at 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  that 
  time, 
  was 
  rewarded 
  by 
  seeing 
  the 
  female 
  run 
  

   rapidly 
  up 
  over 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  nearest 
  ridge. 
  It 
  became 
  a 
  diffi- 
  

   cult 
  matter 
  to 
  watch 
  her 
  movements 
  after 
  she 
  came 
  down 
  amongst 
  

   the 
  hummocky 
  ground, 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  so, 
  as 
  she 
  took 
  advantage 
  of 
  

   every 
  grey 
  stone 
  or 
  inequality 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  dodge 
  behind, 
  and 
  

   stooping 
  low, 
  with 
  head 
  pushed 
  out 
  in 
  front, 
  when 
  she 
  crossed 
  the 
  

   higher 
  places, 
  just 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  a 
  Corncrake 
  do 
  when 
  crossing 
  

   open 
  ground 
  between 
  two 
  places 
  of 
  shelter. 
  She 
  must 
  have 
  seen 
  

   me, 
  or 
  suspected 
  my 
  presence, 
  as 
  she 
  soon 
  ran 
  rapidly 
  away 
  in 
  

  

  1 
  ' 
  The 
  females 
  of 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  Waders 
  are 
  brighter 
  in 
  colour 
  than 
  the 
  male*. 
  

   The 
  Dotterel 
  and 
  Red-necked 
  Phalarope 
  are 
  perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  striking 
  instance* 
  of 
  

   this 
  amongst 
  British 
  birds.' 
  

  

  