126 BRITISH BIRDS. 



To entice any animal, that may be dreaded, away from 

 its nests or young, the lapwing has often recourse to 

 stratagem. Some of its movements of this kind are 

 amusing. It will strike with the bend of the wing so 

 near to a person's head, that the stroke may be dis- 

 tinctly heard ; and it will actually hit birds which prowl 

 about, and even dogs. One writer tells us of his cross- 

 ing a lonely moor, half heath, half quagmire, where lap- 

 wings were more than usually abundant and clamorous, 

 and a little before him was a countryman, accompanied by 

 one of the yelping curs of which such people are some- 

 times too fond. The dog seemed determined on hunt- 

 ing lapwings, and they as willing to give him some 

 sport. Various, indeed, were their manoeuvres : they 

 limped before him, flew low in twitches, and came close 

 upon him, by all kinds of motions both on foot and on 

 the wing, and the dog was fatiguing himself by hopeless 

 leaps at the flyers, and hopeless starts after the runners. 

 At last, one came twitching down, and struck the cur 

 with his bill, or the bend ofhis wing. Audible was the 

 blow, and, doubtless, painful too, for the dog went yelp- 

 ing, with his tail between his legs, to his master, and 

 gave up, for that time at least, so profitless and disas- 

 trous a chace. 



A clergyman, who kept a lapwing in his garden, 



