462 
MU. J. YOUNG ON BLACK-WINGED STILTS’ NESTS. 
V. 
VISIT TO A COLONY OF BLACK-WINGED 
STILTS’ NESTS. 
By J. Young, F.Z.S. 
Read 2 'jth November, 1887 . 
On the 7th June, 1883, I found in}^self humping along in a native 
waggon, devoid of springs, and judging from the angles at 
which it sometimes travelled, quite independent of the laws of 
gravitation. It was drawn by a pair of miserable horses, covered 
with running sores. The thermometer stood above 90° in the 
shade before starting at 8 a.m., but shade there was none on the 
road, or rather track. The way lay across a level plain, stretching 
as far as the eye could reach, unrelieved by a single tree. The 
want of trees, however, was compensated to a certain extent by 
the profusion of the brightest flowers with which the ground was 
covered. One of the most conspicuous amongst the brilliant hues 
which met the eye was that of the lovely Salvia nutans forming 
large sheets of rich dark blue. There was an endless variety of 
Vetches too, ranging from pale lavender to dark purple, and from 
light pink to deep crimson. Wild Southernwood was also 
abundant, and loaded the air with its agreeable fragrance as it was 
crushed by the wheels of the waggon. Scores of Bee-eaters 
[Merops apiaster) were performing a variety of elegant evolutions 
on every side, apparently catching flies, or more probably Dragon- 
flies, with which the air swarmed. Now and again a White Stork 
or an Eagle would lazily cross our track, whilst a pair of Marsh 
Harriers might be seen beating the distant reed-beds. At the end 
of about three hours, a lake, separated from the Black Sea by a 
narrow ridge of sand, was reached, and I was not sorry when the 
time came to dismount. As I did so, the anxiety of a pair of 
