NESTING IX I! ESTEPN INDIA. 25 



8 :•". ■;.».— THE STONE PLOVER. 



J&Sdicnemm ncolopax, S. G. Qm. 

 The Stone or Norfolk Plover is common in suitable places in most 

 parts of Western India, but appears to be rare in Ratnagiri and the 

 South generally. 



They frequent sandy, scrub-covered plains, low bush jungle, and 

 thin grassy groves. They are permanent residents where found. 

 A few eggs may be taken as early as February and as late as August, 

 but the majority of the birds lay in April. Their eggs, two in num- 

 ber, occasionally three, are laid on tne ground, under the shelter of 

 a bush or tussock of grass, amongst dead leaves, which match the 

 eggs so perfectly that they are often overlooked, even when one is 

 in search of them. Were it not for seeing the parent birds creep- 

 ing away, with heads bent down, the}'" would often be passed over. 



The eggs are broad oval in shape, and the ground-colour varies 

 from a yellowish-white to a pale buff brown, streaked, speckled, and 

 blotched with olive- and blackish-brown, and having a few faint 

 spots of inky-purple. 



They average 1*9 inches in length by nearly L39 in breadth. 

 Deesa, April. H . E. Barnes. 



Jseemuch, April, 8th May. Bo. 



861.— THE CRAB PLOVER, 



Dromas arcluola, Pay. 



The Crab Plover is not uncommon on the sea coast, and although 

 so far as I know the egg has not been taken within our limits, yet 

 I feel sure that sooner or later it will be. 



They breed abundantly in some of the islands in the Persian Gulf ; 

 Colonel Butler gives a very full account of them, in Stray Feathers, 

 Vol. viii., p. 381, et &eq. 



Contraiy to what might have been expected, considering the affinities 

 of the bird, they do not lay two stone-coloured, well-marked eggs, 

 on the ground, but only one, and that is placed in a burrow in the 

 sand. 



The egg is pure white, oval in shape, pinched in at one end, and 

 measures 2*54 inches in length by 177 in breadth. 



They breed during the months of May and June. 

 i 



