380 THE PLOVERS 



difficulty in getting under way ; this is belied by a sudden upward 

 rush or sweep, an effortless turn in which the wings hardly take part, 

 and then a downward sweep or fall, with half-closed wings, at the end 

 of which the bird seems suddenly to awake to the necessity of wing 

 action, flings his wings round in a wild whirl in which he sometimes 

 appears to throw a partial somersault a and the next instant is away 

 over the ground with musical wing-beats, tilting and swaying first to 

 one side, then to the other, with marvellous buoyancy. It is during 

 this flight that the breeding song may be heard. It has been well 

 rendered by Mr. Brock as " whey-willuchooee-willuch-willuch-cooee" 2 It 

 has also been rendered "coo-oo-oo, hook-a-coo-ee, coo-ee" 3 and " co-u-whee- 

 whee-whee, co-u-whee." 4 The " willuch-willuch " is very characteristic, and 

 makes Mr. Brock's rendering the most faithful, but the "coo-ee" in 

 my opinion requires a w, " coo-whee." The song accompanies the 

 upward sweep and fall through the air. It suffers a break during the 

 flutter of wings at the end of the fall, but is picked up at once with 

 a triumphant "coo-whee coo-ee" as the bird dashes off in the wing- 

 humming part of its flight. 



The aerial combats or games, constantly taking place in a field 

 inhabited by several pairs of lapwings, are characterised by similar 

 evolutions in modified form. Two birds so occupied will sometimes 

 rise to a great height in their efforts to get above each other, and one 

 succeeding in this may " stoop," when, unless the lower bird dodges, 

 there may be a wing-clap or two. Except for this they appear to be 

 sporting with each other, and for the most part only at a moderate 

 height from the ground. They tilt and twist, first one leading, then 

 the other; they mount up together and towards each other with 

 flurrying wing action, and then sweep downwards and away in opposite 

 directions. The spring notes are constantly uttered " willuch-oowhee, 



1 Mr. Brock describes this manoeuvre thus : " the performer throws himself sideways almost 

 on his back, instantly recovering himself with a flurry of wings " (Zoologist, 1911, p. 298) ; and 

 Mr. Selous states that the bird "turns right head over heels" (Bird Watching, p. 26). 



1 Zoologist, 1911, p. 298. 



3 Selous, Bird Watching, p. 25. 



4 Boraston, Nature Tones and Undertones, p. 148. 



