﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  185 
  

  

  This 
  was 
  evidently 
  their 
  first 
  arrival 
  at 
  this 
  place. 
  The 
  other 
  

   three, 
  which 
  had 
  travelled 
  so 
  far 
  in 
  their 
  company, 
  continued 
  

   their 
  onward 
  flight 
  towards 
  the 
  north. 
  The 
  rest 
  of 
  their 
  history 
  

   up 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  their 
  third 
  egg 
  being 
  laid 
  is 
  as 
  follows, 
  as 
  care- 
  

   fully 
  ascertained 
  by 
  a 
  young 
  collecting 
  friend, 
  Master 
  J. 
  Cook, 
  and 
  

   myself 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  These 
  two 
  Oyster-catchers 
  anived 
  17th 
  April, 
  and 
  slept 
  most 
  

   of 
  the 
  forenoon; 
  rested, 
  fed, 
  18th, 
  19th, 
  or 
  longer 
  (]) 
  ; 
  made 
  nest 
  

   between 
  say 
  20th 
  and 
  24th 
  ; 
  laid 
  three 
  eggs, 
  24th, 
  25th, 
  26th 
  ; 
  

   began 
  incubation, 
  27th 
  ; 
  continued, 
  28th 
  and 
  29th, 
  when 
  tlie 
  eggs 
  

   were 
  taken, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  was, 
  to 
  all 
  appearances 
  and 
  careful 
  obser- 
  

   vation, 
  perfectly 
  fresh-laid. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  additional 
  remark 
  we 
  desire 
  to 
  make 
  is 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  

   an 
  early 
  nest 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  many 
  we 
  have 
  ourselves 
  found, 
  

   especially 
  on 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Scotland; 
  and 
  it 
  

   appears 
  almost 
  certain 
  that 
  these 
  birds 
  generally 
  breed 
  earlier 
  in 
  

   the 
  inland 
  localities 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  watershed 
  than 
  they 
  do 
  upon 
  

   the 
  western 
  seaboard 
  and 
  islands. 
  

  

  Any 
  startling 
  differences 
  in 
  the 
  relative 
  times 
  of 
  breeding 
  of 
  

   Oyster-catchers 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coasts 
  of 
  Scotland 
  

   become 
  more 
  interesting 
  from 
  a 
  migrational 
  point 
  of 
  view, 
  and 
  

   also 
  from 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  of 
  dispersal, 
  when 
  a 
  few 
  other 
  facts 
  

   are 
  added. 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  Armistead 
  1 
  writes 
  us 
  : 
  — 
  1 
  1 
  saw 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   Whimbrels, 
  Knots 
  in 
  winter 
  plumage, 
  Dunlins 
  in 
  summer 
  plumage, 
  

   and 
  Oyster-catchers, 
  all 
  still 
  in 
  flocks, 
  on 
  the 
  Irish 
  west 
  coast 
  (co. 
  

   Mayo) 
  on 
  May 
  11th 
  and 
  12th 
  {i.e. 
  1895).' 
  Such 
  notes 
  have 
  sig- 
  

   nificance 
  if 
  read 
  aright, 
  and 
  also 
  can 
  afford 
  abundance 
  of 
  material 
  

   for 
  theoretical 
  disquisition. 
  

  

  Family 
  SCOLOPACIDjE. 
  

   Recti 
  rvi 
  rostra 
  avocetta, 
  L 
  Avocet. 
  

  

  O. 
  A. 
  J. 
  Lee, 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  dated 
  September 
  13th, 
  1887, 
  writes: 
  — 
  'I 
  

   send 
  a 
  curious 
  skull 
  I 
  picked 
  up 
  from 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  draggled 
  black 
  

   and 
  white 
  feathers 
  (here 
  comes 
  a 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  skull 
  itself). 
  That 
  

   is 
  about 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  it. 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  was 
  an 
  Avocet's 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  a 
  

   marshy 
  piece 
  of 
  moor 
  down 
  by 
  the 
  sea.' 
  Mr. 
  Lee 
  did 
  not 
  send 
  

   the 
  skull 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  but 
  we 
  had 
  an 
  opportunity 
  shortly 
  after- 
  

  

  1 
  The 
  well-known 
  pisciculturist. 
  

  

  