CHAPTER III 



PLOVERS 



THE Grey Plover does not nest in this country. 

 Very frequently this bird has been considered by 

 shore-shooters as a fine variety of the more common 

 Golden Plover ; this is a very natural erron 



The breeding or nesting haunt of this bird was 

 only discovered in 1875 by Messrs. Seebohm and 

 Harvie-Brown, on the tundras above the limit of 

 forest growth in the valley of the Petchora in 

 North-eastern Russia. This is only one grand bird 

 nursery ; others will be discovered, all in good time. 



This Plover frequents the tide-ways, and the 

 marshes where large flats of mud are left when the 

 tide runs out ; creeks and bays that are filled by the 

 tide brimful when it flows, and left almost dry at 

 the ebb, are favoured by it. If the saltings that 

 border them are rough, scattered over with stones, 

 bents, tufts of blite and rushes, so much the better ; 

 for they will squat there as close, at times, as 

 Partridges. 



To a certain extent the range of this bird is more 

 local than that of the Golden Plover ; some shore- 



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