Ringed Plover 



spread wing will also help to distinguish it. When it settles, 

 especially if among stones and shingle, we shall have hard 

 work to see it, while the oft-repeated note, sounding first on 

 one side and then on the other, and coming apparently from 

 the dark stones themselves, tends to bewilder us. There is 

 no month in the year when we cannot find this bird on our 

 shores whatever be the weather — amidst a howling winter's 

 gale and driving sleet, or under the blazing summer's sun, 

 when we can see the heated air vibrating over the burning 

 stones, he is still there, apparently absolutely unmoved by 

 the all-powerful forces of nature. But the time to see him 

 at his best is in May ; we are walking along when suddenly 

 his well-known note strikes our ears, and we see him run- 

 ning along in front of us ; we sit down to watch him and he 

 in his turn will suddenly stop, and then running to some 

 stone slightly higher than its neighbours, stand up and 

 watch us. His mate soon joins him and together they stand, 

 now running a few yards and then turning round give us 

 another look, while they bob their heads up and down at the 

 same time with a motion so characteristic of the Plovers. 

 Finally, seeing that we do not go away they both get up and, 

 calling out as they do so, fly off ; but in a minute or so one of 

 them is back again, sitting and watching us from his old 

 stand. They have evidently a nest somewhere near, and 

 equally, evidently, the hen has evaded our vigilance and is 

 closely sitting on her treasures. Disappointed we rise to go, 

 and on our doing so the hen rises apparently from the 

 ground within six feet of us and runs away. 



One step, and there on the bare stones are four pear- 

 shaped eggs lying close packed, with their narrow ends to 



299 



