graceful wheelings and turnings, often at a great height, they fly off to some 

 distant part of the shore. 



The call-note of the Golden Plover is a clear whistle, rather plaintive in 

 tone, and often excessively difficult to locate, and may be represented by the 

 syllables ' kl-ce klee.' It is often repeated so rapidly during the pairing season 

 that it resembles a trill, ' Kl-ce-d, kl-ee-a, klce-a! The alarm-note is a shrill 

 clear whistle, generally on the same note, neither rising nor falling in tone, 

 and may be heard at a great distance. 



The Golden Plover seldom commences nesting operations before the end 

 of April, and eggs are laid about the end of the first week in May, incubation 

 lasting about eighteen days. The bird is fairly sociable, and several pairs 

 usually frequent the same tract of moor. The nest is extremely difficult to 

 find, as the bird leaves it long before the intruder approaches, and runs 

 silently away from it, very often towards him, uttering her plaintive note and 

 striving to lead him away from her treasure. Their colouring harmonises so 

 well with the surroundings that Golden Plovers are quite invisible at even 

 a comparatively short distance when standing on some tussock perfectly still, 

 watching the intruder. 



The nest is usually a depression in the ground on the top of a mossy 

 tuft, and is lined with bits of dry grass, scraps of lichens and moss, and is, 

 as a rule, rather larger and deeper than that of the Lapwing. Four eggs are 

 laid, points inwards, as is usual with the Waders. They are very handsome, 

 and vary in ground colour from cream to rich buff, or pale, yellowish green, 

 approaching olive ; they are blotched and spotted with red brown, rich purple 

 brown, or dark brown, sometimes with black and a few grey under-markings. 

 Some specimens have the surface -markings varying from the size of a small 

 pea downwards, and fairly evenly distributed over the whole surface; others 

 have large irregular blotches on the large end of the egg, many of which 

 cover a considerable portion of the shell. In many clutches one egg may be 

 found which is much rounder and shorter than the others, probably the last 

 laid. They are usually very pyriform in shape, and are, as a rule, larger and 

 more brightly coloured than those of the Lapwing, and vary in length from 

 2'2 to 2' i inches, and in breadth from i'5 to 1*3 inch. 



Young in down are yellowish on the upper parts, blotched and spotted 

 with black markings, and have almost white under-markings. They leave the 

 nest as soon as they are hatched. They are beautiful little creatures, and are 

 almost indistinguishable from the ground when crouching beside some lump 

 of moss or tuft of grass. 



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