CHARADRIID.E HOPLOPTERUS 353 



Griquatown, in the district of Hay ; south of the Orange River-iL 

 has only been recorded from Colesberg, but further north in the 

 Orange Eiver Colony, Transvaal, Bechuanaland and German terri- 

 tories it becomes very common and is a resident, while in Natal it 

 is only found as a migrant during the cold weather, at any rate on 

 the coast. Beyond our limits it extends through Nyasaland and 

 Angola, as far north as Kiliman-jaro and Lake Naivascha. 



The following are the chief recorded localities : Cape Colony 

 Griquatown (Burchell), Colesberg (Arnot) ; Natal Durban in winter 

 (Ayres) ; Orange Kiver Colony near Bloemfontein (Barratt), Vrede- 

 fort Road (B. Hamilton) ; Transvaal Barberton, January (Kendall), 



FIG. 115. Head of Hoploptcrus armatns. x jl. 



Branslow's Farm, near Springs, December (Oates), Potchefstroom, 

 April, October (Ayres) ; Bechuanaland Great Chine Pan, January 

 (Ayres), Shashi River, October (Oates), Ngami region (Andersson), 

 Tati, January (S. A. Mus.) ; Rhodesia Zambesi above Victoria 

 Falls, September (S. A. Mus.) ; German South-west Africa Great 

 Namaqualand and Damaraland (Andersson), Windhoek and neigh- 

 bourhood, June, August (Fleck), Okavango River (Andersson). 



Habits. This Plover is never found far from water ; it prefers 

 the borders of swamps and snipe-grounds, where it obtains the 

 insects, worms and small Mollusca which form its food. It is most 

 often met with in small flocks of about a dozen birds and is by no 

 means shy ; indeed, when nesting it will fly out at an intruder with 

 low and piercing screams and endeavour to drive him away. Every 

 observer comments on its noisiness, which disturbs and frightens 

 other game-birds. The cry is a metallic harsh " click click," some- 

 23 VOL. iv. 



