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 pestilent
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 reasonably
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 remarks
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.