BLACK-HEADED PLOVER 



Pluvianus aegyptius 



Arabic, Ter el timsah 



Top of head black, as also is a band through eye which 

 meets the black and across chest ; wing and sides of back 

 a very beautiful pale lilac blue-grey, under-parts white, lower 

 throat and flanks a creamy rufous, legs bluish, eye brown. 

 Total length, 8'5 inches. 



This is regarded as quite certainly the bird known 

 in ancient days as the Crocodile Bird. It was 

 held to be the faithful attendant of this fear- 

 some reptile, warning it of danger : and when the 

 creature it fed was full, this little bird was supposed 

 to attend to the proper cleaning of the ogre's teeth I 

 For this purpose, we are told, the crocodile would 

 lie quietly with its great mouth wide open whilst 

 this brave little dentist ran about briskly right 

 into the open jaws and deftly removed noisome 

 leech or scrap of food left between those ugly 

 fangs, and never showing the slightest fear. It is 

 a pretty story, but as there are now no crocodiles 

 in Egypt proper, the ordinary traveller has no 

 chance of seeing if this be so or no. But though 

 the crocodiles are gone the Black-headed Plover is 



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