CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. 215 



CASE 45. 



THE GOLDEN AND GREY PLOVER, 

 THE DOTTEREL, AND TURNSTONE. 



Order, Liyiiicolcs. Family, CharadriidcB. 



The Golden Plover. 



This species is widely distributed in the British 

 Islands, being especially plentiful in the western 

 islands of Scotland, the Orkneys, Shetlancls, and 

 some parts of Ireland. It is resident and migratory, 

 immense flocks arriving on our coasts in the autumn 

 months. It is essentially a gregarious species, 

 except during the breeding-season. I have met 

 with these birds in flocks on the bogfs of Ireland 

 during the winter months, and in the breeding- 

 season on some low mountain tops in the Hebrides, 

 at which particular time the female glides very silently 

 off her nest on the approach of man, and leads him 

 away by slow degrees ; but he will find out after a little 

 practical experience that the nest is nowhere in the 

 direction he may have been induced to follow the 

 bird. 



In regard to this subject, Mr. W. Swaysland says: 

 "If watched or pursued she will stumble, assume 

 lameness, and pretend to be quite unable to fly ; the 

 astonishing persistency and cleverness of these 

 actions being- amongst the most interestinof of the 

 bird's characteristics." The nest itself is very little 

 more than a mere depression in the ground, and is 



