2 30 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF 



beaches close to the sea. It pairs annually, and just 

 about the period the male may be frequently seen 

 soaring in the air uttering a by no means unmusical trill. 

 I observed many pairs of this Plover in the fast drying- 

 up bed of a river in the oasis of Biskra, and from time 

 to time remarked the males careering about the air after 

 they had reached the zenith of their flight. The Little 

 Ringed Plover does not make any nest, the eggs being 

 laid in a little hollow in the sand or shingle, no lining of 

 any kind apparently ever being inserted. Mr. Abel 

 Chapman states that he frequently found the eggs in a 

 slight hollow scraped in dry cattle-droppings. The bird 

 sits very lightly, and as it leaves the nest the moment 

 danger threatens, the eggs are only found by a close 

 search, as they resemble the ground around them. 

 During hot sunny weather the eggs are often left un- 

 covered for a considerable time, whilst the parent birds 

 are feeding in the vicinity. 



Range of egg colouration and measurement : 

 The eggs of the Little Ringed Plover are four in number. 

 They are very pyriform in shape, buff in ground colour, 

 speckled and streaked with various shades of brown, and 

 with underlying markings of ink-gray. Most of the 

 markings are on the larger end of the Q.^^, but others 

 are fairly well sprinkled over the surface. Average 

 measurement, 1*15 inch in length, by '85 inch in breadth. 

 Incubation, performed by both sexes, lasts about three 

 weeks. 



Diagnostic characters : The streaky character of 

 the markings on the eggs of the Little Ringed Plover 

 make them somewhat closely resemble those of the 

 Kentish Plover, from which, however, they are readily 

 distinguished by their smaller size. 



