108 NATURE AND SPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA 



to foretell by their disturbed, restless cries and 

 habits the approach of storms, it is hard at this 

 distance of time to say. Curiously enough, the 

 German name for plover is Bcgen-pfdfer (rain-whist- 

 ler) ; so that the rainy connection of the bird 

 would seem to be an idea of wide geographical 

 distribution. 



In addition to those species I have noticed, other 

 remarkable plovers are to be found in South Africa. 

 Among these are the South African wattled plover 

 (Vanellus lateralis), a larger plover, found during 

 the rains in small flocks upon the lake and river 

 systems of Ngamiland, and occasionally in other 

 regions. The Caspian plover (Charadrms asiaticus) 

 is also sparingly found in small bands during the 

 wet season — December to April — in widely separated 

 parts of the country. This bird is more usually 

 found in non-breeding plumage, but a few specimens 

 have been procured in full courting finery. 



Heywood's plover {Gharadi^ms onargmatus), a 

 charming: bird of diminutive size — about seven inches 

 in length, pale brown and white in colour — is very 

 frequently met with in many parts of South Africa, 

 especially along the coast. Kitlitz's plover {Chara- 

 drius Idtlitzi), another of the tiniest of the plover 

 family, measuring only a trifle over six inches in 

 length, is found from Damaraland to the Cape. 



Moquin's oyster-catcher {Ilmmatopus moqitini), a 



