WATCHING GREAT PLOVERS, ETC. 13 



come to within a moderate distance of me, made three 

 little runs — advancing, retiring, and again advancing 

 — all the time with wings upraised and waving, then 

 took a short flight over the ground, describing the 

 segment of a circle, and, on alighting, continued as 

 before. Half-a-dozen others were gathered together 

 under a solitary crab-apple tree — a rose in the desert 

 — less than 100 yards off, and both with the naked 

 eye and the glasses I observed them all thoroughly 

 well. One of them would often run at or pursue 

 another with these antics. I saw one that was stand- 

 ing quietly, caught and, as it were, covered up in 

 a little storm of wings before it could run away 

 and begin waving its own. 



" This and the general behaviour of the group makes 

 it evident that the birds are stimulated in their dance- 

 antics by each other's presence. For these little chases 

 were in sport, clearly, not anger. Very different is 

 the action and demeanour of two birds about to 

 fight. This is by far the finest display of the sort 

 that I have yet seen, and must be due, I think, to 

 the rain, which the birds obviously enjoyed. They 

 had been quite dull and listless before, but as soon 

 as it fell they spread themselves over the plateau, 

 and the dancing began. It was not only when the 

 birds threw up their wings and, as one may say, 

 let themselves go, that they seemed excited. The 

 constant quick running and stopping whilst the 

 wings were folded appeared to me to be a part 

 — the less excited part — of the general emotion 

 out of which the sudden frenzies arose. There was 

 also the usual vocal accompaniment. The wailing 

 note went up, and was caught and repeated from 



