218 CHARADRIIDAL 
that the nest may appear quite deserted of its owners. 
When hatching is nearly completed the female sits more 
closely and the male is more often by her side. When 
the young birds are running about, both parents watch them 
most anxiously and will feign lameness! or a broken wing 
to decoy an enemy from their little ones. Ringed Plovers 
occasionally make the mistake of laying their eggs a little 
below high-water mark ; indeed I have seen the eggs carried 
off by the incoming tide. At other times I have observed 
them deserted and half buried in the sand, particularly after 
a storm. 
Fic. 30.—HEAD OF RINGED PLOVER. Nat. size. 
Geographical distribution.—Abroad, the Ringed Plover 
nests in Temperate and Arctic Kurope, including Iceland. 
Hastward it may be traced across Siberia, a small race 
occurring in Central Asia, and North Africa. The larger 
race also occurs in Greenland. On migration in autumn 
and winter it is distributed widely over the rest of the 
Huropean and the greater part of the Asiatic Continents, 
the small race reaching to South Africa and India. 
'T have scores of times seen-Ringed Plovers pretending to be 
wounded, but perhaps the most interesting observation on this habit 
was made at Ireland’s Eye, on June 17th, 1900. Here, over a rough 
stony beach I saw a Ringed Plover tumbling about with its leg and 
wing trailing until it reached a pool into which it fluttered and splashed. 
Thinking it might be really disabled I gave chase, but found I was 
deceived, for, emerging from the far side of the pool, the bird tumbled 
along for a few yards and then flew off. It was the most perfect piece 
of mimicry I have ever witnessed: after a short search I found two 
young ones, still in the down. 
