THE PLOVER TRIBE 2253 



stant, we select as the best-known example the Egyptian spur-winged lapwing 

 (ffoplopterus armatus}, which breeds in the valley of the Nile, in Sene- 

 gambia, and probably also in the intervening districts of Central Africa, 

 migrating in the spring to Palestine and some parts of Southeastern 1 

 Europe. It has large spurs, and may be distinguished from its allies by the greater 

 wing coverts being white, and the lesser ones brown; and it is also unique in having, 

 when adult, the crown of the head, forehead, nape, chin, throat, breast, flanks, and 

 legs, black. This bird is extremely common in Egypt and Nubia, where it fre- 

 quents the banks of lakes, rivers, and canals, as well as marshes and swamps. The 

 chief interest connected with this species is that it appears to be the bird alluded to 

 by Herodotus as being in the habit of entering the open mouths of crocodiles for 

 the purpose of feeding. For a long time it was considered that the black-backed 

 courser was the bird in question, and that the whole story was a myth. The late 

 Dr. L,eith Adams gave, however, good reasons for regarding the zic-zac (as this 

 bird is called by the natives) as being really the kind alluded to, while the recent 

 observations of Mr. J. M. Cook strongly confirm the original story. The narrative 

 of the latter gentleman, in a somewhat condensed form, is as follows: " Early in 

 1876," he writes, " I was on the Nile, between the first and second cataracts, and 

 noticed on a large sand bank some crocodiles of considerable size, and several of the 

 birds which are called by all the natives the crocodile bird. As we had plenty of 

 time, I decided that we would spend a few hours in watching the crocodiles and the 

 crocodile birds. For this purpose, during the dark hours we had a small pit dug on 

 the western side of the large sand bank, and about the peep of day the following 

 morning we ensconced ourselves in the pit, with the intention of remaining until the 

 crocodiles came on to the bank, as we believed they did every day, to bask in the 

 sunshine and sleep. We watched patiently until about noon, when two large croco- 

 diles came out of the water on to the bank, and apparently were soon asleep. Several 

 crocodile birds commenced flitting over them, and through our field glasses we 

 watched one bird, and saw it deliberately go up to a crocodile, apparently asleep, 

 which opened its jaws. The bird hopped in, and the crocodile closed its jaws. In 

 what appeared to be a very short time, probably not more than a minute or two, 

 the crocodile opened its jaws, and we saw the crocodile bird go down to the water's 

 edge. As the sand bank was, I should say, at least a half a mile across, and the 

 bird's back was turned toward us, we could not see whether it vomited in the 

 water or drank, but in the course of a few seconds it returned to the crocodile, 

 which opened its mouth again, and the bird again entered. The mouth was closed, 

 and in a short time was opened again for the bird to come out, and the same opera- 

 tion was repeated at the river bank. We saw the same bird enter the crocodile's 

 mouth three times, and on three occasions run to the water to either vomit or drink. 

 Having satisfied our curiosity, and knowing that we could not bag the crocodile, 

 and there being two or three crocodile birds about, I took aim and shot two of 

 them. I could not assert positively that I shot the actual bird that we had seen go 

 in and out of the crocodile's mouth, but one of the birds was presented to the Lei- 

 cester Museum, and the other I have in a case at home." The so-called crocodile 

 bird was subsequently identified with the present species. 



