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  THE 
  VEETEBRATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  " 
  DEE." 
  

  

  and 
  families 
  did 
  not 
  take, 
  as 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  doing, 
  thousands 
  

   of 
  dozens 
  of 
  Lapwings' 
  eggs 
  every 
  year, 
  for 
  no 
  other 
  purpose 
  

   than 
  that 
  the 
  depraved 
  taste 
  of 
  the 
  idle 
  gourmands 
  that 
  fill 
  the 
  

   highest 
  places 
  in 
  society 
  may 
  be 
  gratified. 
  But 
  farmers 
  are 
  

   thoughtless, 
  indeed 
  ignorant 
  of 
  the 
  mischief 
  that 
  is 
  being 
  

   done, 
  and 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  a 
  high 
  price 
  is 
  offered 
  for 
  Plovers' 
  eggs, 
  

   unless 
  those 
  immediately 
  interested 
  become 
  alive 
  to 
  what 
  the 
  

   ultimate 
  result 
  must 
  be, 
  the 
  evil 
  will 
  continue 
  until 
  the 
  

   pleasant 
  cry 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Peewit 
  " 
  will 
  be 
  heard 
  no 
  more 
  in 
  the 
  

   land. 
  

  

  Genus 
  STREPSILAS, 
  Illiger. 
  

   Strepsilas 
  interpres, 
  Linn. 
  Turnstone. 
  

  

  To 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  flocks 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  during 
  spring 
  

   migration, 
  where 
  they 
  sometimes 
  remain 
  till 
  the 
  middle 
  or 
  

   end 
  of 
  June. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  14th 
  of 
  June, 
  1890, 
  I, 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  Messrs. 
  

   M'Boyle, 
  late 
  of 
  Peterhead, 
  saw 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  Turnstones 
  at 
  

   Scotston 
  Head, 
  a 
  little 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  Ugie, 
  two 
  of 
  

   which 
  — 
  a 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  — 
  we 
  obtained. 
  Both 
  were 
  well 
  

   advanced 
  in 
  their 
  summer 
  dress, 
  but 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  

   to 
  breed 
  in 
  Britain. 
  Again, 
  in 
  autumn, 
  they 
  appear 
  in 
  

   numbers, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  remaining 
  until 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  In 
  December, 
  1896, 
  one 
  was 
  brought 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  was 
  shot 
  

   from 
  a 
  small 
  flock 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Don. 
  

  

  Genus 
  H^MATOPUS, 
  Linn. 
  

  

  Haematopus 
  ostralegus, 
  Linn. 
  Oyster-Catcher. 
  

   " 
  Sea-Pie." 
  " 
  Crocket." 
  

  

  A 
  common 
  resident 
  species, 
  living 
  in 
  flocks 
  about 
  the 
  

   estuaries 
  during 
  winter, 
  and 
  betaking 
  itself 
  to 
  the 
  rivers 
  in 
  

   summer 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  incubation. 
  Then 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  

   right 
  at 
  the 
  head-waters 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

   Its 
  nest, 
  formed 
  among 
  the 
  shingle 
  by 
  the 
  river 
  -sides, 
  is 
  

   merely 
  a 
  slight 
  hollow 
  amongst 
  the 
  stones, 
  and 
  there 
  three 
  or 
  

   four 
  eggs 
  are 
  deposited. 
  Some 
  places 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  an 
  

   attraction 
  for 
  this 
  bird 
  during 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  which 
  

   other 
  localities, 
  apparently 
  equally 
  favourable, 
  do 
  not 
  possess. 
  

  

  