84 BIRDS OF ICELAND 



1894; the Golden Plover had already commenced to 

 flock previous to their departure for winter quarters, 

 and I believe the little one had even then been 

 deserted by its parents. 



The nest is placed on a grassy or lichen-clad spot in 

 an open situation ; it is a mere cup-shaped hollow, 

 with a few vegetable scraps (probably all grown on 

 the spot), in the bottom. The four eggs are of a 

 ground colour ranging from a warm, ruddy buff, 

 through pale stone colour to almost olive, and are 

 boldly spotted and blotched with purplish grey and 

 deep brown-black. Length about 2 inches. 



The bird it is surely unnecessary to describe in 

 detail ! I may remark that in summer it wears a 

 black s^orfret, stretching from the bill to the thicjhs 

 (of a pure black such as no breeding Golden Plover 

 in Britain wears — so pick up a specimen in Iceland) ; 

 this is moulted into dusky white in the autumn, and 

 the bird is then in the dress most familiar to English- 

 men. The head, back, and wingjs are at all seasons 

 black, mottled with spots of golden and creamy white. 

 Axillaries ivhitc. Length about 1 1 inches (young birds 

 less), wing 7f inches. The food consists of insects, 

 larvae, mollusca; by the sea in winter of Crustacea, 

 worms, and mollusca. 



