254 On the Occurrence of some of the Barer Species of Birds 



" Norfolk Plover." We come now to the last species to be named 

 in the Order of the Grallatores, and it is a bird which is — or must I 

 say was? — by no means uncommon on our downs; and until quite 

 lately its eggs, of which I have several local specimens, eould be 

 easily obtained from many of the surrounding parishes. But I fear 

 this bird is fast getting scarcer amongst us than it used to be. It 

 is a very shy and wary bird, and hard to approach ; and the un- 

 usually large bright eye which it possesses it would seem to make 

 the best use of. It assumes the most curious attitudes, standing on 

 one leg, with its head shrugged up to its shoulders; and moving 

 about for short distances with jerks and starts, as though it had 

 rheumatism in its legs, or were walking on stilts. I had a young 

 one brought me some time ago from the downs, which I kept alive 

 for above a week, in the stable, but it did not relish its captivity, 

 and soon pined away and died. My brother noticed a nice pair of 

 these birds in the parish of Stratford Toney last year. 



And now I must wish my readers farewell, if any should, indeed, 

 have waded through what, I fear, to some may appear a needlessly 

 protracted paper. But the Order is a numerous, and also a 

 very interesting one; and no one with any observation can fail to 

 notice how accurately every species in it has been exactly suited for 

 the kind of life it is destined to lead. Nothing is wanting. The 

 long tarsus of the Wader, the short stout bill of the Turnstone, the 

 pointed beak of the Heron, the mottled colouring of the young of 

 most of the Order, which renders them well-nigh invisible, though 

 lying at your very feet, all testify to a perfect wisdom and provi- 

 dential care, that has omitted nothing suited to their need. How 

 different it is when man interferes in Nature's work. Not one man 

 out of an hundred can even put a bird into a natural and pleasing 

 position, when he has all the materials before him to enable him to 

 do so; whereas if he attempted to create a new species out of 

 his own unassisted intelligence, how surely he would turn out to 

 be like the architect, who is said to have designed a most gorgeous 

 palace, perfect in every way, but in the simple fact that he had 

 forgotten the staircase. Or, if he failed not so signally as this, and 

 managed to make no mistake in the adjustment of the principal 



