54 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



standing abreast with slightly opened wings and 

 puffed-out feathers, lower their heads until the tips 

 of their beaks touch the ground, at the same time 

 sinking their voices until the drumming sound dies to a 

 whisper. The performance is then over, and is repeated, 

 or if the visitor is in a hurry he takes his departure, to 

 rejoin his mate and receive a visitor himself by-and-by. 

 One dry summer, long after the breeding season 

 was over, while out riding I passed by a lagoon, or 

 lakelet, where the birds from all the plain for some 

 miles round were accustomed to come to drink, and 

 noticed a gathering of about a hundred lapwings 

 standing quietly near the water. It was evident 

 they had all had their drink and bath, and were dry- 

 ing and preening their feathers and resting before 

 going back to their several feeding-grounds. On 

 seeing them my attention was instantly arrested by 

 the singular behaviour of two birds, the only restless 

 noisy ones in that quiet, silent company. It was not 

 a close company; every bird had a good space to 

 himself, his nearest neighbour standing a foot or 

 more away, and right in among them the two restless 

 birds were trotting freely about, uttering loud com- 

 manding notes, and apparently greatly excited about 

 something. I had seen nothing like that before, and 

 it puzzled me to account for their action. By-and-by 

 there was a fresh arrival; a lapwing came to drink, 

 and instead of dropping down on the edge of the 

 water, he alighted about thirty feet away, at a dis- 

 tance of two or three yards from the others, and 

 remained there, standing erect and motionless as if 



