68 Among the Birds in Northern Shires. 



not know the sad mewing cries and the restless 

 uneven flight of this Plover, as it rises startled from 

 the ground and commences its plaintive protest 

 against our intrusion? Large numbers of Lapwings 

 breed on the North Derbyshire and South York- 

 shire moorlands, as well as on the rouQfh trrounds in 

 their vicinity. We remember on one occasion — we 

 have a note recording the fact — seeing a pair of 

 Lapwings drop quietly to the ground just behind 

 a stone wall that separated the moor from the high- 

 way. Creeping carefully up to the spot we looked 

 through a chink in the wall and saw the two old 

 birds with four chicks which could not have been 

 hatched many hours. The scene was a charming 

 one. The downy long-legged little creatures were 

 running about picking here and there, their parents 

 standing guard, alert and watchful, yet totally un- 

 conscious of prying human eyes not a dozen feet 

 away from them. After watching this family party 

 for some time we intentionally came into view, when 

 the scene instantly became more interesting than it 

 was before. Both old birds rose into the air and 

 commenced wheeling and rolling about just above 

 our head, the female by far the most venturesome 

 of the two. Then she alighted a yard or so avv^ay, 

 and with both her broad wings sweeping the ground 

 dragged herself along for a few paces, striving her 

 hardest to get us to follow. But we confined our 



