WATCHING GREAT PLOVERS, ETC. 19 



sitting now rises and shakes itself a little, presenting, 

 as it does so, a very ' mimsy ' and ' borogovy ' appear- 

 ance (for which adjectives, with descriptive plate, 

 see 'Through the Looking-Glass '). It then begins 

 uttering that long, thin, ' shrilling ' sound, which goes 

 so far and pierces the ear so pleasantly. This is 

 answered by a similar cry, quite near, and I now see, 



Great Plovers: A Nuptial Pose 



for the first time, another bird advancing quickly to 

 the calling one, who also advances to meet it. They 

 approach each other, and standing side by side, with, 

 perhaps, a foot between them, but looking different 

 ways, each in the direction in which it has been 

 advancing, both of them assume, at the same time, 

 a particular and very curious posture, worth waiting 

 days to see. First they draw themselves tall-ly up on 

 their long, yellow, stilt-like legs, then curving the neck 

 with a slow and formal motion, they bend the head 

 downwards — yet still holding it at a height — and stop 

 thus, set and rigid, the beak pointing to the ground. 



