Minor British Game Birds. 1 5 1 



terribly destructive to this species, from the 

 compact mode of flying described above. As 

 many as a hundred birds have been killed at a 

 single shot. 



The beautiful little ringed plover, or sea-lark, 

 is another of our breeding species. It is 

 permanently resident on our coasts, and is one 

 of the most interesting of British shore-birds. 

 At no time infrequent, there is a considerable 

 accession in winter ; and it is a pretty sight to 

 watch a flock of these feeding among sand or 

 shingle, or even upon a mud-flat. It is in such 

 spots, too, that it lays its creamy-spotted eggs 

 (pointed like those of all plovers), often without 

 the slightest semblance of a nest. No shore 

 bird is as nimble as the ringed plover. It runs 

 with the utmost grace and ease, picking up tiny 

 crustaceans as it goes. Although not uncommon, 

 the ringed plover is somewhat locally distributed, 

 which may also be said of the Kentish plover. 

 This is a rare species, and is very seldom found 

 in numbers far from the south-eastern counties 

 from the saltings of Essex and Kent. In haunt 

 and habit it much resembles the " sea-lark." 



Only one other shore bird is resident with 

 us throughout the year ; this is the oyster- 

 catcher. Sea-pie and olive it is also called on 

 some parts of our coasts. It is easily distinguished 

 by its well-defined black and white markings, 

 and every shore-shooter knows its shrill rattling 



