ate 
GOLDEN PLOVER. = 113; 
« 
“ 
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tion of the Bird-family. Mr. Yarrell (in whose first edition 1t 
appears at the head of the Rail-family) says—“ The Pratincole 
has been arranged by some authors with the Swallows, by ethers 
near the Rails; but I believe, with Mr. Selby, that it ouglit to be 
included in the family of the Plovers; and had I known its 
Plover-like habits and eggs sooner, I should have arranged it 
between Cursorius and Charadrius.” To this Mr. Hewitson 
adds—“ Besides the similarity of their habits, the fact of this 
species laying four eggs is a further link to connect it with the 
Charadriide.” It is, however, much too rare—besides being 
known not to breed in Britain—to have any claim on our limited 
space for description of its nest or eggs. 
163. GOLDEN PLOVER—(Charadrius pluvialis). 
Yellow Plover, Green Plover, Whistling Plover.—It has some- 
times been an object to me to obtain specimens 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 or two, very early 
in the year, separating themselves from the great flock of some 
scores ; and in the female of one such pair which I shot some few 
years since (the next shot: killing five out of a very large flock at 
no great distance), I found an egg quite ready for extrusion, and 
which from the depth of its colouring, would probably have been 
laid in the-course of a few hours at most. The hen-bird makes 
a very slight nest, and lays just four eggs in it, seldom either 
more or less. They are of a large size for the bird, of a fair 
stone-colour, well blotched and spotted with very dark or blackish 
brown. After sitting eight or ten days the bird becomes very 
reluctant to leave her nest, and will suffer herself to be almost 
I 
