26 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



not easy of approach, but may easily be decoyed to 

 within gun-shot range by means of " stales " or 

 tethered birds, and are also sometimes attentive to 

 an imitation of the well-known cry from w^hich they 

 derive their common name. 



The flesh of the Peewit is very palatable, but not 

 to be compared to that of the Golden Plover ; and 

 although I have shot a few when they gave me a 

 chance, I never took any trouble about killing these 

 very useful and handsome birds. The food of this 

 species appears to consist almost exclusively of earth- 

 worms, slugs, and grubs, and I consider them as 

 purely beneficial to the farmer; their eggs are 

 excellent, and with a little judicious management in 

 the gathering of them there need be no fears of 

 seriously affecting the breed. The prices given for 

 early Plovers' eggs in London and elsew^here in our 

 country are most extravagant and out of reason, and 

 even at the height of their season they will fetch 

 from four to five shillings per dozen. The greater 

 part of these eggs sent to the London markets come 

 from the Netherlands, but Ireland, Lancashire, 

 Cheshire, and the Eastern counties also contribute 

 a great many dozens. I have often heard it said 

 that many Rooks' eggs are palmed off by dealers as 

 Plovers', but there is so little similarity in shape, 

 colour, or size that I can hardly credit the story. 

 I have often seen eggs of several other species 

 exposed for sale in the London markets with those 

 of the Peewit, e. g. those of Redshank, Snipe, Reeve, 

 Black-tailed Godwit, Coot, Spotted Crake, Black 

 Tern, Laughing Gull, and others, probably all from 

 Holland ; but these, so far as my knowledge extends, 

 do not meet with a rapid sale, and it is, I think, 



