2l8 TURNSTONE. 



The Plover fondly tries 

 To lure the sportsman from her nest, 

 And fluttering <m with anxious cries 

 Too plainly shows h3r tortured breast. 

 Oh let him conscious of her care 

 Pity her paius, and learn to spare. 



Shenstone. 



In the South of Scotland, since the days of Charles II., when 



the Covenanters were so relentlessly persecuted, the Plover has 



always been considered an unlucky bird. Its jealous anxiety at the 



presence of a strange visitor to its haunts, and its screaming cries 



about him, have often exposed the poor fugitive to his enemies even 



after nightfall. 



But though the pitying sun withdraws his light, 

 The Lapwings' clamorous hoop attends their flight. 

 Pursues their steps where'er the wanderers go, 

 Till the shrill scream betrays them to their foe. 



Ley DEN — Scenes of Infancy. 



The same noisy jealousy, however, calls assistance, now and 

 again, to some poor wounded man. The Tyrwhitts, an old 

 Lincolnshire family, bear three Peewits for their arms, in conse- 

 quence, it is said, of the founder of the family Sir Hercules 

 Tyrwhitt, when wounded on the moor, being thus saved by the birds. 



The food of the Lapwing consists of the worms, slugs, cater- 

 pillars, and insects that frequent wet marshy places. In the autumn 

 and winter, the bird is considered good on the table. It is not, 

 however, equal to the Golden Plover notwithstanding the French 



proverb, 



" Qui n'a mang^ grive ni vanneau 

 N'a jamais mange bon morceau." 



The Lapwing is resident throughout the year, except in very 

 severe weather. It is however partially migrant, for large flocks 

 sometimes come over from the continent. 



Genus— STREPSILAS. 

 STREPSILAS INTERPRES— Turnstone. 



There is a specimen of the Turnstone in the Hereford Museum 

 labeled " Backney Marsh, 1859 " by the late Mr. Moss. There is 

 no other record of its occurrence in the county. 



