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 The Wry-bill Plover of New Zealand 189 •prize. The hen-bird was sitting, and I walked up to within a few yards of 'her without seeing her, and she then ran off her nest toward me in her <manner of the night before. Still there was no sign of her mate, and it was not until I had photo- graphed her on the nest, and near it, that his lordship put in an appearance. She was on the eggs at the time, and he ran straight up to her with a great show of authority and drove her off, chasing her away from the nest. He evidently wanted her to go away and feed, for, when she flew about twenty yards and then settled, he ran after her, and then she flew away off down stream. Then he returned to the nest, and, sitting on the eggs, noticed us apparently for the first time. However, he did not seem to be as interested in us as we were in him, and he shuffled round on the eggs trying to get comfortably settled, while we yot ready to photograph him. Somehow he did not seem to be able to arrange •things to his satisfaction, for, presently, he got up and began turning the eggs over with his bill, and then he saw that something had happened to them that he knew nothing about. He hastily turned them chipped side down- ward, and walked round the stone at the back of the nest. He continued to trot round about the nest for some time, evidently in a state of great agitation and perplexity. He did not sit on the eggs again, but finally took up a position close to them, watching them with the most dejected look imaginable, his whole appearance expres- sing just about as much joy and ease as that of a bachelor who is holding a baby. And there we photographed and left him. There has been much discussion as to the reason for the curved bill of this bird, but to any one who has watched the birds closely when feeding, the reason seems obvious. The curvature is toward the right, and the bird, when feeding, always keeps the stone under which it is looking for food on its right. The curved bill enables the bird more conveniently to get at its food. If, as frequently happens, it espies some grubs or other delicacies under a stone on its left, it turns right round before trying to pick them up. There is no doubt that the curved bill enables them readily to secure food which to a bird with a straight bill of the same length would be almost inaccessible. Against this argument is stated the fact the birds migrate to the estuaries and mud- flats in the North Island, where a curved bill is rather a disadvantage than otherwise. Still, the extra facility with which they can FEMALE WRY-BILL RESENTING INTRUSION