OF SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA. 



195 



its enemies, it will resort to its power of mimicking the sur- 

 roundings. Suddenly coming to a full stop, it will crouch 

 down, asuming a rigid form in almost any peculiar position, 

 and remain very quiet until the danger has passed. Its 

 colour so closely simulates the surroundings that in the 

 various attitudes it assumes it may be mistaken for a rock, a 

 dry tussock, or a log of wood, and so possesses a remarkable 

 power of self-protection. 



Stone Plover. 



Hawks are the natural enemies of the Stone Plover, and it 

 is specially against them that they must ever be on guard and 

 use all their powers of mimicry. Sportsmen know well how 

 difficult it is to approach within gunshot of these birds and 

 how easy it is to lose sight of them. As a general rule they 

 associate in pairs only ; sometimes six or eight, or even as 

 many as fifty, may be seen in a flock during the winter. 



