GOLDEN AND GREY-PLOYERS 359 



young, before the last of these lingering flocks are away to their 

 northern nesting-quarters. 



Of the courting habits of these species but little has been re- 

 corded. As with many other shy birds which nest far from the haunts 

 of man, such habits are difficult of observation, and, as a rule, visits to 

 their nesting-places are not made until the season is too far advanced 

 to learn much of their ways during the interesting period preceding 

 egg-laying. The males of both species indulge in what appears to be 

 a nuptial flight and love-song. The golden-plover floats around in 

 circles high up above the nesting-place, occasionally describing a 

 graceful vol-plane to the ground, frequently uttering a warbling song. 

 This song has been described by Mr. Abel Chapman as " a peculiar 

 rippling song or warble, a joyous note of courtship." 1 Naumann 

 renders it " taludl-taludl-taludl-toLudl" and states that it is sometimes 

 uttered on the ground, but not often. 2 The song of the grey-plover is 

 less ambitious, and it may be wrong to call it a nuptial song at all. It 

 is certainly associated with the nesting time, and is peculiar to the 

 male. It is described by Harvie-Brown and Seebohm as a treble 

 whistle. The males associate in small parties of three or four whilst 

 the females are sitting ; they rise to a great height and dash about in 

 erratic curves, or dive down impetuously, and rapidly rise again; 

 " they then remain almost stationary like a Temminck's stint, raising 

 their wings over the back until they nearly meet, and finally flying 

 with long tern-like sweeps of their wings, utter their musical 

 treble note." The whole proceeding is probably analogous to the 

 piping parties of the oystercatcher to be described in a later 

 chapter and somewhat similar displays in other species, in which 

 several birds associate together, and perform actions similar to those 

 peculiar to courtship, at a time when courtship should be a thing of 

 the past. 



The golden-plover is shy of its own kind, the nests generally being 



1 Bird-life of the Borders, p. 28. * Vogel Mitteleuropas, viii. p. 26. 



3 Ibis, 1876, p. 222. 



