JACKSON : NOTES ON THE LAPWING NEAR GARSTANG. 273 



wild State, as so many chances are that the nest may be disturbed, 

 more especially if you have not the opportunity of visiting it at very 

 short intervals. 



May 14th — Saw one young Tewit, about a fortnight old; observed 

 it with the glass running about the field, and on going to the place 

 had some difficulty in seeing it, although knowing where to look. 

 The young are covered with a soft down of a greyish colour on the 

 back, mottled with darker markings ; the neck and under parts are 

 rather lighter in colour. They lie so close, and have such incon- 

 spicuous colouring on the upper part that they are not easy to see. 

 This young bird, when hiding, made itself look very small, although 

 when running about its legs seemed long, and it looked a considerable 

 size. Though the old and young birds walk about in the fields 

 together, I never saw any attempt on the part of the old birds to feed 

 the young. The tradition is that the young leave the nest with the 

 shell on their back, and they certainly leave it at a very early stage, 

 as I have found them a foot or two away, even before they could 

 stand upright on their legs ; of course, if they have to seek food for 

 themselves they must of necessity move about early. 



May 2ist — Wretchedly cold weather for the time of year, and 

 the young tender shoots and leaves of beech and sycamore trees 

 much injured and disfigured by the wind during the last few days, 

 being left hanging black and withered on the branches. Found 

 three young Tewits in a pasture-field, all close together, and apparently 

 almost benumbed with the cold ; they were very small, not more than 

 three or four days old, and although so close together, we were 

 unable to find the nest they had come from. The two old birds 

 came flying round us very close before we found the young ones. 

 Once, when passing along a country-lane, I was surprised to see a 

 Tewit standing in the middle of the road quite still, but as we came 

 nearer it flew away and four very small young ones hastened to hide 

 themselves in the grass at the side, which they can do in a very 

 short time. 



May 28th — Was informed that four pairs of Tewits had been 

 frequenting Arpley Fields near Warrington, and that two pairs bred 

 there this year. 



June 4th — Went to the Moat House Farm, Burtonwood, in the 

 fields near which Tewits were evidently breeding, as six or seven 

 came screaming around in close proximity, although I only passed 

 along the road. They used to breed in these same fields many 

 years ago. 



June 1 8th — The earliest young birds seem now able to fly, and 

 observed one small flock of about a dozen, but was not near enough 



Sept. 1888. 



