THE RINGED-PLOVERS 355 



flashes of white and grey, as they present first their upper then their 

 under surfaces to view, being most effective. When a flock is scared 

 from its feeding-ground at the edge of the tide, the birds generally fly 

 out to sea in a body, for a short distance, and return often close to the 

 spot where disturbed. 1 In alighting they often swing round in part 

 of a circle, skim lightly over the sand with outstretched wings, and 

 the next instant are running rapidly about in search of food. The 

 flocks are said to frequent one place all the winter if not shot at. 2 



The notes of these plovers may be described as for the most part 

 short, melodious, flute-like, whistling cries. They have been variously 

 expressed by different authors, but the German of Naumann conveys 

 the best idea of the sound. The English " u " in " tidi " the usual 

 rendering of the alarm-note of the ringed-plover, is misleading ; 

 " tooli " expresses it more nearly, but Naumann's " till " or " trull " is 

 far better. The same author gives us other variants of the whistle at 

 ordinary times " triii " or " trii" The pairing note of the male he 

 describes as this note repeated quickly, with an " I " occurring occa- 

 sionally; "trui-trui, truil-trtiil," the time long at first, and then 

 gradually quickening: he likens it, aptly enough, to the "jodel." 

 Naumann believes that the female utters this note as well as the 

 male. It is heard most in morning and evening. 3 Besides " tuli," 

 other English renderings are " chu-e-chu-e,* and " pen-y-et " as the 

 alarm-note when the birds have young. 5 



The notes of the Kentish-plover are less shrill than those of the 

 ringed-plover, and generally consist of one syllable, a flute-like "piu " 

 or "pili" which, as Naumann states, is not repeated quickly, but at 

 fairly long intervals. It also adds a soft "pit-pit" The alarm-note is 

 " tior-tior" The pairing-song is expressed by Naumann as " putt-putt 

 pit-pit-pit" followed by a quick trill. 6 This is quite distinct from any 

 note of the ringed-plover. Baron von Droste Hiilshoff expresses the 



1 Patten, Aquatic Birds, p. 217. * Zoologist, 1908, p. 369. 



3 Vb'gel Mitteleuropas, viii. p. 64. 4 Patten, Aquatic Birds, p. 217. 



6 Stevenson, Birds of Norfolk, vol. ii. p. 92. 



8 Vogel Mitteleuropas, viii. p. 56. 



VOL. III. 2Z 



