THE PLOVEK.] 



BY FIELD, WOOD, AND WATER. 



[the LAPWnTG. 



the winter, and repairs to other countries in 

 search of its food, which principally consists 

 of slugs, of which it destroys a prodigious 

 quantity. It likewise devours worms and 

 insects, as well as seeds of various kinds. IMr. 

 Pennant thinks that most of the birds which 

 leave us in spring, to spend the summer else- 

 where, have been traced to Lapland — a country 

 of lakes, rivers, swamps, and alps, covered with 

 thick and gloomy forests, that aflbrd shelter 

 during summer to the fowls which, in winter, 

 disperse over the greater part of Europe. In 

 these arctic regions, in consequence of the 

 thickness of the woods, the ground remains 

 soft and penetrable to the woodcocks, and 

 other slender-billed fowl. Some, on the other 

 hand, think that they take the opposite direc- 

 tion, and in place of flying to Lapland, make 

 icing to Africa. The cause of the migration 

 of birds is ascribed, by Pennant, to the de- 

 ficiency of food at certain seasons, or the want 

 of a secure asylum from the persecutions of 

 man during the time of courtship, incubation, 

 and nutrition. 



It is difficult sometimes to get a shot at 

 this bird, from the peculiarity of its habits. 



PLOVERS, 



The Great Plover is the CJiaradrius (Edic- 

 nemiis of Linnaeus ; bat by some writers it is 

 called the stone curlew, and Norfolk plover, 

 and considered a diminutive type of the bus- 

 tard. It is about sixteen inches long, with a 

 bill of moderate length ; eyes and eyelids of a 

 pale yellow hue, with a pale streak above and 

 below, which forms a very characteristic mark. 

 The upper parts of the body are tawny brown, 

 and, on each feather, there is a dark streak 

 down the centre. The fore part of the neck 

 and breast are nearly of the same colour, but 

 much paler. The belly, thighs, and vent are 

 of a pale yellowish white, and the quills are 

 black. The tail is short and rounded, and a 

 dark band crosses the middle of each feather. 

 The tips are black, and the rest white : the 

 legs are yellow, and naked above the knees, 

 which are very thick, as if swollen ; and its 

 claws are black. 



This bird is very frequently found in Nor- 

 folk; and Mr. AVhite observes, that the dis- 

 trict of Selborne, in Hampshire, is one of its 

 favourite spots. In the north of England it 



is little known. It frequents dry and stony 

 places, by the sides of sloping banks, and 

 makes no nest. The female lays two or three 

 eggs on the bare ground, sheltered by a stono, 

 or in some small hole formed in the sand. 

 These are of a dirty-white colour, marked with 

 deep-rod spots, mixed with slight strc'aks. 

 Although this bird has great power of wing, 

 and ilics with great strength, it is seldom seen 

 during the day, unless surprised, when it 

 springs to some distance, and commonly makes 

 its escape before the sportsman gets within 

 gun-shot. It runs along the ground nearly as 

 swiftly as a dog. After running some time, it 

 suddenly stops, holding its head and body still, 

 and, on hearing the least noise, squats close to 

 the ground. In the evening it comes out in 

 quest of food, and may then be heard at a great 

 distance. Its cry is singularly hoarse, and has 

 been compared to the turning of a rusty handle. 

 Its food consists chiefly of worms. It is said 

 to bo tender and savoury eating when young ; 

 but, when aged, to be hard, dry, and black. 

 In White's History of Selborne, it is stated 

 that the young run immediately from the nest 

 almost as soon as they escape from the shell, 

 and that the female leads them to some stony 

 field, where they bask among the stones, to 

 which they bear so close a resemblance, in 

 point of colour, as not easily to be discovered. 



The Great Plover is migratory in its habits, 

 and arrives in this country in April. It 

 remains with us all the spring and summer, 

 and, at the commencement of autumn, prepares 

 to take leave by getting together in flocks. It 

 is supposed that these plovers retire to Spain, 

 and frequent the sheep-walks with which that 

 country abounds. 



Like the Landrail, it is difficult to obtain a 

 shot at it, from the celerity with which it runs 

 over the ground. 



THE LAPWING, OR PEWIT. 



This is the Fringilla Venellus of Linnmus, 

 and is a common bird among sportsmen. It 

 falls in his way in every direction, where there 

 is poor, barren, and moist land. Its weight 

 is about eight ounces. The plumage, taken 

 altogether, is beautiful, and the male and 

 female greatly resemble each other ; the latter, 

 however, being rather the smaller of the two. 

 It is a well-known bird, chiefly by its singular 



573 



