Their Eggs and Nests. 163 



possessing the peculiar pointed shape of the eggs of 

 the entire class of birds we are now among, and of a 

 warm cream-colour, spotted and streaked with black. 

 The parent birds try hard to lead the casual intruder 

 away from the vicinity of their young. — Fig. 3, plate 

 VII. 



LITTLE RINGED PLOVER— (^^/^////V curonica ; 

 formerly, CJiaradrius minor). 



A very rare British bird. 



KENTISH PLOVER— (^^/^////^ Cantiana ; 

 formerly, CJiaradrius Cantianus). 



Seldom obtained veiy far from the southern coasts 

 of England, and not appearing to be a very plentiful 

 bird even there. In habits it strongly resembles the 

 Ring Plover just named. The female makes no nest, 

 but Tays her four eggs in a slight hollow on sand or 

 shingle ; which strongly resemble some of the lighter- 

 coloured examples of the eggs of the last-named 

 species. — Fig. ^, plate VII. 



GOLDEN PLOVER— (67^^m^r/?/.$- pluvialis). 



Yellow Plover, Green Plover, Whistling Plover. — 

 It has sometimes been an object to me to obtain speci- 

 mens of this bird in its breeding-plumage, and it is 

 scarcely possible to imagine a stronger contrast than 

 that presented by the male in his May dress and six 

 or eight months later. All the glossy black of neck 

 and breast has entirely disappeared long before the 

 latter period. I have occasionally seen a single pair 



