plainly on a green field, they are well hidden among the stones along
the edge of the water.

The Sea-pie makes no nest, only a hole in the sand or shingle, lined
with small stones or shells. The eggs are coloured and marked so that
they are hard to see among the stones which surround them. The
youngsters wear a fluffy suit of grey, marked with dark streaks and
dots; and it takes very sharp eyes indeed to pick them out from the
shingle where they crouch.

The Ringed Plover is another bird which loves the sandy, pebbly margin
of the sea. Have you ever watched him there? He is not much larger than
a plump lark, and he runs quickly along the beach, stooping now and
again to pick up the morsels of food which his keen eye detects.

But, all the while, he is watching you with the other eye, for he is a
wary little bird, and not to be taken by surprise. _If_ you can get near
him, you will notice his rather long yellowish legs, greyish-brown back,
and, more than all, the white collar round his neck, and the black band
showing on his white chest. Again we see the black-and-white markings
which are so useful to the bird of the shore.

Everyone who knows the Ringed Plover loves to watch him. He is one of
the daintiest, most fairy-like birds. When he is picking up worms and
sand-hoppers on the wet sand he is easily observed. But wait! He flies
off and settles on the shingle not far away. You walk nearer, to watch
him. Alas! he is gone. You know just where he settled, yet he is gone!
He has often played that trick on me.

The secret lies in his grey, white-and-black markings. When our ships