DESCRIPTION, DISTRIBUTION, HABITS 



State, Transvaal, and further north it is very common and is 

 resident. 



Habits. — The blacksmith plover is usually found in small 

 flocks of from 8 to 12 individuals. It is never found far 

 from water, but frequents the border^ of swamps and mud 

 flats, where it obtains its food, which consists chiefly of worms, 

 insects, and various kinds of mollusca. The cry is a metallic 

 " click click," which resembles the ring of a blacksmith's 

 hammer, from which its name has been derived. It is a very 

 noisy bird, disturbing and frightening other birds in the vicinity 

 at night as well as during the day. The nest is merely a slight 

 hollow in bare ground, lined with a thin layer of grass, roots, 

 and dead wood. The eggs vary from 2 to 4 in number, 

 and are sand-buff in colour, thickly spotted with different sized 

 black spots. They are pyriform in shape, and measure on the 

 average 1.55 by i.i. 



Grey Plover [Squatarola helvetica). (Vol. II., p. 288.) 



Description. — Male in breeding plumage : the whole of 

 the crown and neck above is white. The centre of the crown is 

 slightly mottled with black. The sides of the face and neck are 

 black. The back and wings are mottled black and white. 

 Below it is black throughout. In non-breeding plumage the 

 black and white plumage is replaced by ashy-brown or grey and 

 white. 



Lengthy 11.5 ; tail, 2.75 ; wing, 7.4. 



The voung bird can be recognised bv its black axillaries. 



Distribution. — The grev plover is found all o\-er the world 

 at one time of the year or another. It breeds far north in the 

 Tundras. In South Africa it is found on or near the seacoast 

 during the summer months. 



Habits. — This plover is generally found singly and some- 

 times in pairs along the banks of tidal rivers or on the mud flats 

 left by the receding tide. There it may be seen running about 

 in search of its food, which consists principally of worms, small 



187 



