CHARADRIID^.. 



555 





THE LAPWING. 



Vanellus vulgaris, Bechstein. 



The Lapwing, also called the Peewit, owes the first name to the 

 slow flapping of the rounded pinions, while the latter is obviously 

 derived from the bird's familiar cry. Throughout the British Islands 

 this species is generally distributed and is, as a rule, resident ; 

 though partial emigration from the north takes place in -winter. 

 Its favourite resorts are marshy pastures and moorlands, but its 

 breeding-grounds, even when on flats, are usually above the risk of 

 inundation, though these on the mountains seldom infringe upon 

 those of the Golden Plover. In England, drainage and the increase 

 of cultivation have diminished the numbers of nesting birds, but 

 large flocks annually arrive from the Continent in autumn ; while 

 in Scotland the bird is abundant, and is on the increase in 

 many of the northern districts, and the islands ; it even visits St. 

 Kilda every spring. In Ireland it is very common, but Sir R. 

 Payne-Gallwey states that its eggs are not collected or appre- 

 ciated there as they are in Great Britain, although the birds are 

 freely netted for the table. 



This species occasionally wanders to Jan Mayen and Greenland, 

 while it is a rare visitor to Iceland ; but it breeds sparingly in the 



