322 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
for the occurrence of this bird, which is generally a 
summer visitor to England, arriving here in April 
and departing in September or October. It would 
appear, however, occasionally to make an earlier 
appearance, for the one in my collection was sent to 
me in the flesh from Exmouth on the 28rd of March, 
and had been killed at that place the day before. 
Montagu also mentions one having been killed in the 
South of Devon still earlier, namely, in February. 
Mr. E. H. Rodd says (‘ Zoologist’ for 1866), that he 
has never known this bird taken in the Land’s End 
district in the summer, but that it is not unfre- 
quently obtained there in the winter, which he 
attributes to the latitude of the Lizard and the 
Land’s End being about the same as the northern 
boundary of this species in its continental winter 
quarters. 
As far as this county is concerned I have only 
heard of one appearance of this bird besides the one 
above mentioned, and that was some years ago in 
the neighbourhood of Ilminster, but I have been 
able to glean no particulars about it. It has, how- 
ever, occasionally occurred in the neighbouring 
county of Dorset, as well as in that of Devon. 
The food of the Great Plover appears to consist of 
worms, insects and their larve, small snails and 
slugs. Yarrell says they are also believed to kill 
small Mammalia and small reptiles, for which their 
stout frame and large beak seem sufficiently powerful. 
