100 



NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



long and broad, and it flajis them in a regular, sedate manner. Now it soars upwards 

 for a few yards, seemingly witliout effort, then flajipiiig its broad and rounded wings 

 it wheels round and round ; then it darts ra)>idiy down as if hurling itself to the 

 ground, and tlien, mounting the air again, with easy grace flies in everchanging course, 

 darting, wheeling, trembling, and reeling, as though beating time with its pinions to 

 its wailing and exjiressive cries. Tlie lapwing becomes particularly clamorous at 

 nifrlit, and obtains much of its food in the dusk of the evening. At all hours its wild 

 expressive call may be hecrd, as it floats on ever-moving pinions above its favorite 

 haunts. Its common note resembles the syllables /Jte-ifce^, or wcet-a-weet, />e«-jre«<-irw/, 

 from which is derived one of its best known names. The eggs of the lapwing are 

 highly prized as articles of food, and a regular and extensive trade is done in them. 

 Thousands find their way to the London markets in the season, and fetch from four to 





p... 



Fio. K. — Hoploptena tpinotus, spur-winged plover. 



ten shillings a dozen." Tliis bird is one of the few waders that show metallic colors 

 in their pTumage, the gener.al color of the ui-per parts being a greenish to coppery 

 bronze. 



Remarkable for the strong and sharp spur at the bend of the wing is the so-called 

 Rl>ur-winired plover (IToploptencs spinosus), hairbrown, black and white, a native of 

 Africa, -where it is one of the commonest birds of the Nile valley, but it occurs also 

 in soiitlieastern Europe and the intermediate countries of western Asia. It claims 

 the distinction of being the 'leech-eater' or 'trochilos' of Herodotus, whose de- 

 scription, which is as follows, may rather belong to the blaek-he.aded plover, or, as it 

 is frequently called, 'the crocodile bird' (Pliiri'aiiiis a^f/i/ptius), .also a n.ative of 

 Egypt. "As the crocodile lives chiefly on the river, it h.as the inside of its mouth 

 constantly covered with leeches ; hence it happens that, while all other birds and 



