346 THE PLOVERS 



straight up, and holding them so for a second or two ; an action 

 that may take place while it stands or just as it alights. Each pair of 

 birds is nearly sure to make its nest on the ground beneath where it 

 is seen taking the circling flights ; in fact, the birds would appear to 

 choose the spot first, and then spend the time prior to egg-laying in 

 their aerial play. 



Mr. Selous describes a formal courting action on the ground, in 

 which the male approached the female with head and neck drawn up 

 above the usual height. He advanced a few steps at a time, and in 

 the pauses he moved his legs in a rapid vibratory manner, quivering 

 with excitement as he did so. 1 This movement of the legs a sort of 

 rapid " marking time " characterises the courting actions of other 

 Waders ; for instance, the redshank. 



According to Naumann, where several pairs of ringed-plovers 

 nest together the males fight " like common fowls." 2 This statement 

 is supported by notes sent to Dr. Heatherley by Cringle, the bird- 

 watcher at Wells in Norfolk, who says : " Pairing begins early in April, 

 when the males can be seen fighting for the possession of the females. 

 They fight very fiercely, rushing at each other with their beaks down 

 and feathers bristling up. Sometimes four or five birds will be mixed 

 up in one fight." 3 The fighting is not limited to the pairing time, for 

 Dr. Heatherley observed that where the nests were fairly thick on the 

 beach at Wells, and the simultaneous hatching out of a number of 

 clutches produced a sudden increase in the number of chicks on the 

 sand, there was constant fighting on the part of the adults to maintain 

 " spheres of influence." " In fighting, the old birds lowered their 

 heads and raised the feathers of their backs." There were occasional 

 melees in which four birds took part. Two birds had their beaks 

 interlocked, " and one was banging the other down on the sand." 4 



The Kentish-plover, in the nesting season, is described by the 

 Rev. H. H. Slater as performing aerial evolutions similar to those of 



1 Bird Watching, p. 22. * Vogel Mitteleuropns, viii. p. 64. 



3 Zoologist, 1908, p. 369. * Ibid., 1908, p. 366. 



