1 8 WILD-FOWL AND SEA- FOWL OF GREAT BRITAIN 



Grey Plovers feeding out on the slub — what then ? 

 You are drawing nearer, and your baclc aches 

 terribly through being compelled to stoop so. One 

 more creep and there will be a chance, at least you 

 think so. But that chance does not offer itself to 

 you, for a yelper of a Redshank slips off the very 

 end 6f the piles, where he has been listening to the 

 suck of your pattens from the time you started. 

 How he shrieks and darts down the creek ! — and the 

 Plovers go as well. No wonder that highly moral 

 verses learnt in childhood come to mind, as we 

 slowly walk back, quite upright now, and our feet 

 feeling heavy as lead. 



The nest of the Golden Plover is only a slight 

 hollow on some dry spot on the moors the birds 

 frequent, with a few leaves or grass-blades scattered 

 in it. As is usual with the Plovers, the eggs are 

 arranged with their small ends together, the ground- 

 colour of the eggs being cream colour or greyish- 

 yellow, dotted, patched, and spotted with dark brown ; 

 sometimes light purple spots are found on them. 

 As the eggs of all birds that have coloured mark- 

 ings vary more or less, and the birds vary slightly in 

 size, like common humanity does, I only give the 

 usual types. 



This beautiful bird is almost as well known in 

 certain countries as is the Lapwing. Vast numbers 

 remain with us throughout the year, merely shifting 

 their head-quarters from the northern moors where 

 they breed, to the lower country, as winter draws 

 near. Hosts upon hosts of Golden Plovers visit 



