﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  175 
  

  

  depression 
  in 
  the 
  deep 
  moss, 
  close 
  to 
  a 
  small 
  grey 
  stone, 
  behind 
  

   which 
  Feilden 
  had 
  seen 
  her 
  lie 
  down. 
  There 
  was 
  no 
  lining 
  to 
  the 
  

   nest 
  whatever 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  simply 
  a 
  shallow 
  hollow, 
  pressed 
  doun 
  (not 
  

   scraped) 
  by 
  the 
  bird, 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  lay 
  points 
  inwards. 
  

  

  'Feilden 
  had 
  seen 
  the 
  bird 
  run 
  from 
  the 
  nest, 
  or 
  from 
  its 
  vicinity, 
  

   and 
  had 
  remained 
  and 
  watched. 
  At 
  my 
  suggestion 
  he 
  had 
  come 
  

   up 
  over 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  instead 
  of 
  going 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  top. 
  

   The 
  bird 
  came 
  running 
  from 
  one 
  direction, 
  and 
  then, 
  as 
  she 
  had 
  

   done 
  when 
  I 
  watched, 
  ran 
  down 
  the 
  hill 
  in 
  another. 
  The 
  second 
  

   time, 
  she 
  came 
  from 
  a 
  different 
  direction, 
  repeating 
  the 
  manoeuvres 
  

   I 
  have 
  endeavoured 
  to 
  describe 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  third 
  time, 
  Feilden 
  

   marked 
  her 
  sneak 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  nest, 
  head 
  down, 
  and 
  saw 
  her 
  

   gradually 
  settle. 
  He 
  gave 
  her 
  five 
  minutes, 
  to 
  make 
  certain, 
  and 
  

   then 
  walked 
  straight 
  for 
  the 
  little 
  grey 
  stone, 
  keeping 
  his 
  eyes 
  

   firmly 
  fixed 
  upon 
  it. 
  When 
  he 
  was 
  within 
  six 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  she 
  

   was 
  still 
  indistinguishable 
  from 
  the 
  surrounding 
  moss, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  

   only 
  when 
  she 
  was 
  at 
  last 
  forced 
  to 
  rise 
  that 
  he 
  discovered 
  her. 
  

   It 
  was 
  six 
  o'clock 
  when 
  the 
  nest 
  was 
  discovered, 
  and 
  seven 
  o'clock 
  

   when 
  we 
  left 
  the 
  mountain. 
  Feilden 
  carefully 
  packed 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  

   his 
  hat, 
  which 
  he 
  carried 
  in 
  his 
  hand, 
  and 
  I 
  brought 
  away 
  a 
  square 
  

   of 
  the 
  moss 
  containing 
  the 
  nest, 
  having 
  cut 
  it 
  carefully 
  out 
  with 
  

   my 
  knife. 
  

  

  ' 
  I 
  heard 
  the 
  Dotterel's 
  cry, 
  well 
  and 
  repeatedly, 
  to-day, 
  and 
  

   recognised 
  it 
  as 
  the 
  same 
  that 
  I 
  had 
  heard 
  the 
  day 
  previously 
  on 
  

   another 
  mountain, 
  which 
  I 
  now 
  feel 
  convinced 
  holds 
  another 
  pair. 
  

  

  1 
  1 
  have, 
  in 
  this 
  paper, 
  confined 
  myself 
  to 
  giving 
  a 
  statement 
  of 
  

   the 
  day's 
  proceedings 
  and 
  search 
  for 
  the 
  eggs, 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  now 
  

   the 
  pleasure 
  of 
  exhibiting 
  to 
  the 
  Society 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  dwelt 
  at 
  

   considerable 
  length 
  on 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  bird, 
  as 
  observed 
  by 
  us. 
  

   I 
  would 
  have 
  had 
  some 
  hesitation 
  in 
  taking 
  up 
  so 
  much 
  of 
  your 
  

   time 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  had 
  the 
  nesting 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  rare 
  bird 
  been 
  as 
  

   generally 
  known 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  others 
  of 
  our 
  rarer 
  species 
  ; 
  but 
  when 
  

   I 
  state 
  that 
  no 
  published 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  nesting 
  habits 
  in 
  Great 
  

   liritain 
  has 
  appeared 
  since 
  1835, 
  I 
  hope 
  you 
  will 
  kindly 
  overlook 
  

   the 
  length 
  of 
  my 
  remarks. 
  I 
  might 
  easily 
  add 
  to 
  the 
  paper, 
  by 
  

   giving 
  a 
  short 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  Dotterel 
  

   in 
  Scotland, 
  together 
  with 
  some 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  autumn 
  migration 
  

   and 
  shooting 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  in 
  certain 
  districts 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  

   Scotland 
  and 
  north 
  of 
  England, 
  from 
  persons 
  who 
  have 
  witnessed 
  

  

  