THE PLOVERS. 163 



reiterating, with piercing emphasis, that mysterious 

 taunt, " Did you do it ? Did you do it ? Pity to do 

 it." What does the creature mean? I have done 

 nothing. Suddenly its mate springs into visibility 

 and joins it. I have a suspicion, a strong suspicion, 

 that somewhere on the ground, not far from my feet, 

 there are four stone-coloured eggs, with black blotches 

 on them and like pegtops in shape, arranged in a 

 cross with their points inwards. But it is no use 

 looking for them. The Lapwing is such an accom- 

 plished liar that it will throw you off the scent one 

 way. or another. The poet has said it, 



" The lapwing- lies, 

 Says here when it is there." 



It is altogether a wonderful character. It seems 

 to do without food and sleep. As regards food, you 

 never find it where there is anything to eat, and as 

 regards sleep, the natives have a saying that it sleeps 

 on its back with its legs turned up, for it says, " If 

 the sky should fall, I will catch it on my feet ; " but I 

 suspect the chief point of this saying is that it cannot 

 be contradicted, for nobody ever caught a Lapwing 

 asleep. 



There is another kind of Lapwing, with yellow 

 instead of red wattles on its cheeks. Otherwise it is 

 very like the common one, but somewhat paler in 

 colour and with less black on it. There is a syllable 

 less in its cry. It, however, likes a dry climate, and 

 I have not often seen it on the coast. 



The Grey Plover and the Golden Plover are small 

 compact birds with very large eyes, quite different in 

 their aspect from the Lapwing. They are found all 

 over India in the cold season and wander a great 



