RINGED PLOVER, 495 



the sea at its ebb retires to a distance, leaving extensive 

 surfaces of sand or shingle. These birds also frequent the 

 sides of large rivers, and are not unfrequently found about 

 the margin of inland lakes and large ponds. As a species 

 it is numerous, and its habits are lively and interesting. It 

 is recorded that Mr. Scales found them breeding on the 

 warrens at Beechamwell, near Swaffham, and at Elveden, 

 and other warrens and heaths near Thetford, in Norfolk ; 

 and the late Mr. Hoy sent me word, also, that many breed 

 on the sandy warrens of Norfolk and Suffolk, at a con- 

 siderable distance from the sea. They pair and go to 

 nest very early in the season. Mr. Salmon has found 

 them sitting on their eggs by the 30th of March. Their 

 nest is only a slight cavity in the sand, in which its four 

 eggs are deposited ; but sometimes this cavity is lined or 

 covered with a number of small stones about the size of 

 peas, upon which the eggs are laid, and this habit has 

 gained for the Ringed Plover in some counties the pro- 

 vincial name of Stone-hatch. 



This bird has been known to lay four eggs four times 

 in succession in the same season each set, when com- 

 pleted, being taken away ; the later ones were smaller 

 than usual, and altered in form and markings, a natural 

 consequence of exhaustion. 



Many deposit their eggs in any accidental depression 

 on a bank of sand, broken shells, or shingles above high- 

 water mark. The eggs are one inch five lines long, by one 

 inch and half a line in breadth, of a pale buff or cream- 

 colour, spotted and streaked with ash blue and black. 

 The parent birds are greatly attached to their young, and 

 practise various devices to draw off any intruder from their 

 charge, while from the great similarity in colour to the 

 surrounding materials, either the eggs or the young are 

 very difficult to find. They feed on worms, insects, and, 



