pieces of twigs drifted on to the marshes during the 

 winter floods. The eggs are four, and, except in their 

 ground-colour (which is much of the same tone as that 

 of the Avocet), greatly resemble those of our well- 

 known Peewit — the " Plover " of egg-commerce. 



I have always found this bird very easy of approach ; 

 in the breeding-season it is difficult to drive them from 

 their nesting-places, over which they hover with loud 

 outcries ; and I have frequently ridden to within a few 

 feet of Stilts wading in a few inches of water, and 

 busily engaged in picking up small insects from the 

 weeds, or snapping at them in the air. In Spain I 

 have found the stomachs and throats of these birds 

 crammed with what I believe to have been mosquitos, 

 or some very nearly allied and probably equally pesti- 

 lent insects, and on this score alone this pretty bird is 

 well worthy of protection, more especially as its flesh is 

 worthless, and its tameness so great that the most rabid 

 collector can obtain more specimens than he can reason- 

 ably require in a very few minutes. I am only too 

 well aware of the futility of any appeal to collectors of 

 British birds, who cannot be satisfied except with 

 victims slaughtered at home ; but perchance my re- 

 marks may induce a certain amount of moderation on 

 the part of English collectors in Spain, where I can 

 assure them that it is urgently needed. 



