. BIRDS MET WITH BY THE WILDFOWLER 331 



CASPIAN PLOVER 



^gialophilus asiaticus {Pallas) 

 The Caspian Sand Plover is a very rare irregular spring" 



migrant to the British Isles. 



Two examples of this eastern Plover, which inhabits the 



South Central Palaearctic region, were obtained near Yarmouth 



in May, 1890. 



It resembles our Common Ringed Plover, but does not 



show the black markings on the head, and the band across the 



breast is bright chestnut, edged along its posterior margin with 



black. Length about 7 in. ; wing 5 "6 in. 



GOLDEN PLOVER 



Charadruis pluvialis {Linnccus) 



The home of the Golden Plover is on the lower slopes of 

 mountains, and hill-land moors, for the Golden Plover prefers 

 the cover afforded by the tall heather. 



As we walk up the hill we first hear his shrill whistle, and 

 soon see him coming to meet us. He settles some way ahead 

 of us, whistling continuously, but at our approach he flies on 

 to some other projecting boulder, and so on for perhaps half 

 a mile, till, having accompanied us to the limits of the ground 

 over which he claims suzerain rights, he hands us over to the 

 ruling chief of the next territory. Thus in a walk over the 

 hillside we find one of these birds always travelling with us, 

 whose cry is never out of our ears. We have, however, only 

 noticed half the game, for the birds that have been accom- 

 panying us are almost always male birds ; his duty it is to 

 stand on some exposed mound while his hen crouches amid 

 the heather on her precious eggs, four pear-shaped beauties, 

 the black spots and markings showing up against their green- 

 ish ground colour. As soon as any intruder approaches he 

 will sound his pipe and fly off towards us, while his mate 



