THE SAND-PLOVERS. 165 



moments. It is rather more shy than its larger ally, and takes 

 wing more readily. In its flight it is very similar to the Ringed 

 Sand-Plover, but its notes are very different from that of its near 

 allies. Its ordinary call-note is a loud, clear, plaintive, and 

 monotonous /^d?, almost lengthened into two syllables. When 

 alarmed the note is pronounced much shorter, and repeated 

 more rapidly ; and in spring it is uttered still more rapidly so 

 as to become continuous, especially at the close of its love- 

 song, when it becomes a trill.* 



Mr. Dixon says that, in Algeria, he has seen the male soaring 

 into the air like a lark, and flying about for a considerable 

 time, uttering his peculiar love-song, soaring higher and 

 higher above the sandy wastes, and then gradually descending 

 again. 



Nest. — None, being merely a little cavity in the sand, with a 

 slight lining. Mr. Robert Read writes to me: "Although 

 the species breeds sparingly in Sweden, I was fortunate 

 enough to discover two nests there in June, 1894, Both were 

 in small patches of shingle on islands in a large fresh-water 

 lake. In the first case the bird flew off as our boat ap- 

 proached the island, and I found the nest with four fresh eggs. 

 In the second instance I saw the bird running off just as the 

 boat touched the shore, and I found the nest with four eggs 

 about a week incubated. In both cases the slight hollows in 

 the shingle, which did duty for nests, were lined with dried 

 grass, sticks, and stalks, which is very unusual with y^. 

 hiaticola. The latter, when an intruder is in the vicinity 

 of its nest, usually keeps not far off, uttering a monotonous, 

 plaintive whistle ; but in neither of the above instances did 

 I hear any note of the birds after they left the nest." 



Eggs. — Four in number, pear-shaped, and laid point to 

 point. The ground-colour is clay-buff to a sort of greenish- 

 grey. The blackish markings are similar in character to those of 

 ^. hiaticola^ and the underlying spots are just as indistinct. 

 The size of the egg is considerably smaller than that of the 

 eggs of the Ringed Sand-Plover. Axis, i-i-i*25 inch ; diam., 

 o 8-0*9. 



* Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B. iii. pp. 17, iS. 



