PLOVERS. 175 



from twenty or thirty together to three and five 

 hundred, and often far more, in a stand. If you have 

 any doubt when a Plover flits by as to its species, 

 bear in mind the Grey bird exhibits, if you are near 

 enough to discern it, a whiter look about the tail and 

 body, with a larger head and stouter beak than does 

 the Golden. The full, black, bead-like eye in the 

 Grey stands out in greater contrast to the head than 

 it does in the other species ; the long black feathers 

 under the wing of the Grey bird is another distinc- 

 tive mark, the same feathers in the Golden Plover 

 being pure white. The Grey is a decidedly rare 

 Plover in the south of Ireland, and but few drop 

 on that coast when migrating. 



Green Plover are regarded by the peasantry as 

 harbingers of wild weather. Though these birds 

 nest in great numbers in most counties of Ireland, 

 their eggs are not sought for, or regarded as dainties 

 as in England. 



The Grey Plover is oftener to be seen in the north 

 and north-west of Ireland. Mr. Warren tells me 

 that at Ballina, although not common, they are fairly 

 numerous, and that they sometimes remain in that 

 district as late as June ere migrating. Some years 

 since, on the 2Qth of that month, he saw a stand of 

 thirteen, but only two of them showed the black 

 breast peculiar to the breeding season. In March, 

 1877, Mr. Warren observed a stand of thirty on the 

 sands at the mouth of the Moy estuary, where 

 they had, no doubt, collected ere travelling north, 

 though earlier than usual. 



At close quarters, as they sit on the sand or 

 shore, Golden Plover plainly show the yellow tint 



