TWO KINDS OF PLOVER 159 



Shore Plovers of their various kinds have always 

 seemed to me among the most interesting of birds ; 

 their methods of escaping observation, and the unpro- 

 tected way in which they place their eggs, appearing 

 to present to the naturalist a direct challenge to find 

 these if he can. The birds are open enough about 

 their nests, and they do not deny for a moment that 

 they have got eggs, all they ask of you is that you will 

 be quick over your search, so that they may return to 

 them. They are in no hurry though, standing perhaps 

 forty or fifty yards from you, and gazing seawards in a 

 rather preoccupied manner, occasionally giving their 

 characteristic little bow or duck, which all the shore 

 Plovers seem to share in common with each other. 

 You do not find their eggs, they did not expect that 

 you would, so after you are gone, and not until after 

 you are gone, the bird returns to the nest, first tucking 

 the eggs underneath her, then screwing herself round 

 once or twice, and shifting her position every few 

 minutes so as to face the wind, after which she half 

 closes her eyes, but not her ears, and dozes. Such 

 are the habits of most shore Plovers, whether it be 

 the Ringed Plover on the English coast, or the White 

 Sand-Plover of South Africa, six thousand miles away. 

 Nevertheless, in one rather important point they 

 differ, for whereas the Ringed Plover if undisturbed 

 will nearly always lay four eggs, the White Sand- 

 Plover, so far as my experience goes, never lays more 

 than two. The eggs also of the latter species are less 

 pyriform, and lack to a certain degree the characteristic 

 plover-like shape of those of the Ringed Plover. 



Although none of these birds make any nest, pro- 



