410 



GRALL^E. BIRDS. GRUID^K. 



and it further resembles those birds in its habit of 

 capturing insects on the wing. Insects and worms 

 constitute its chief food. The eggs are deposited in the 

 midst of a tuft of rushes or other herbage. They are 

 three or four in number. Several other species are 

 met with in Africa, and two or three in India and the 

 neighbouring islands. 



THE GRAY PLOVER (Squatarola helvetica} Plate 

 23, fig. 89 also called the GRAY SANDPIPER, a winter 

 visitor to this country, appears to be distributed over the 

 whole of the northern parts of the Old World, breeding 

 in the arctic regions during the summer, and migrating 

 southwards, as far as Africa and India, for the winter 

 season. It measures about twelve inches in length, 

 and is speckled with black and white above, and black 

 beneath, in the summer ; in the winter the plumage is 

 gray above, and paler or white beneath. 



THE GOLDEN PLOVER (Charadrius pluvialis) 

 Plate 23, fig. 88 is a permanent resident in Britain, 

 where it is found in considerable numbers on the hills 

 and swampy grounds, especially towards the north. 

 It is widely distributed in the Northern hemisphere, 

 and appears to resort to the regions within the arctic 

 circle in great quantities in the summer to breed. The 

 lower surface is black in summer, and in the winter 

 dusky-white, spotted with yellow. The whole length 

 is about eleven inches. Like the other Plovers, this 

 species associates in considerable flocks, and utters a 

 shrill whistling note. It feeds upon insects, worms, 

 and slugs. The eggs are four in number, and are 

 deposited in a hollow in the ground, amongst the 

 heath, with but little lining. The young birds run as 

 soon as they quit the egg, and the parents make use 

 of many artifices in protecting their helpless family 

 from any enemy. 



THE DOTTEREL (Charadrius morinellus) is a summer 

 visitor to this country. It is smaller than the preced- 

 ing species, measuring only nine inches and a half in 

 length; its plumage above is ash colour, variegated 

 with brown and buff; the head is brown, with a white 

 streak on each eye; the breast is fawn colour, with 

 a white transverse band, and the belly black. The 

 Dotterel breeds on the high grounds of the northern 

 parts of England and Scotland, laying three or four 

 eggs in a small hollow in the ground; its food consists 

 of worms, insects, and slugs. 



THE RING-PLOVER (Charadrius hiaticuld), a still 

 smaller species, less than eight inches in length, is a 

 permanent resident in Britain, where it chiefly fre- 

 quents the flat sandy, shores of the sea. It is also met 

 with in the northern parts of Europe and America, 

 advancing to the arctic shores during the summer. 

 The neck and lower surface are white ; on each side 

 of the head is a large black spot, and across the lower 

 part of the neck is a broad black band, leaving a dis- 

 tinct white collar round the neck. 



THE LAPWING (Vanellus cristatus), likewise called 

 the Peewit, in imitation of its note, is an abundant 

 species on marshy grounds, heaths, and moors in this 

 country, and also throughout Europe and Asia. This 

 bird frequents marshy ground near the borders of lakes 

 and rivers, and is also found on open heaths, commons, 

 and moors. It deposits its eggs, usually four in 



number, in a slight depression in the ground ; they are 

 in great esteem for the table, and, in those districts 

 where the birds abound, these eggs are carefully sought 

 for and brought to market. When disturbed upon 

 their eggs the parent birds fly or run off, or fly round 

 the intruder, using various stratagems to lure him from 

 the place. The food both of the old and young birds 

 consists, like that of the preceding species, of worms, 

 slugs, and insects ; and Latham states that he saw a 

 Lapwing approach a worm-cast, turn it to one side, 

 and then walk two or three times round the hole 

 to give motion to the ground ; on the worm making its 

 appearance it was seized by the watchful bird. 



The Lapwing is rather more than twelve inches in 

 length. Its head is adorned with a pointed crest of 

 elongated feathers, which the bird can elevate or 

 depress at pleasure ; the crown of the head, the face, 

 throat, and upper part of the breast are black; the 

 sides and back of the neck are white, speckled with 

 black ; the upper surface is dark-green with a purple 

 and coppery lustre, and the lower surface is white. 

 The tail is white at the base and black at the apex. 



THE OYSTER-CATCHER (Hcetnatopus ostralegus) 

 Plate 23, fig. 90 is a British example of a small 

 group consisting of about a dozen species, distributed 

 in all parts of the world. Its most striking pecu- 

 liarity is the form of the bill, which is much longer 

 than the head, and a little curved upwards, of a 

 pentagonal form at the base, but compressed in the 

 apical portion, so as to constitute a thin blade, ter- 

 minating in an abruptly truncated extremity. The 

 Oyster-catcher frequents our coasts throughout the 

 year, and also appears to inhabit most of the shores 

 of the northern parts of the Old World. It is like- 

 wise met with along the course of rivers. Its food 

 consists principally of small mollusca, which it picks 

 up in abundance on the shores, and its peculiarly 

 constructed bill is said to be of great service to it 

 in opening the shells of the bivalves, and in detaching 

 limpets from the rocks. Its English name is evidently 

 derived from the supposition that it is able even to 

 open oysters with this instrument. The eggs, which 

 are usually four in number, are deposited on the 

 bare ground, and the parents, like the other plovers, 

 endeavour by various wiles to lure away intruders 

 from their nest. 



FAMILY III. GRUID^E. 



The Cranes, which constitute the types of this 

 family, are large and handsome birds inhabitants for 

 the most part of the warmer regions of the globe. 

 They have a large and strong bill, which is sometimes 

 straight and pointed, sometimes more or less arched 

 at the extremity; their nostrils are placed in large 

 grooves, and generally near the middle of the upper 

 mandible; their legs are of great length and rather 

 slender, with the tarsi compressed and covered in front 

 with broad shields, and the naked skin continued 

 upwards to a considerable distance on the tibiaB ; and 

 their toes are rather long, with the exception of the 

 hinder one, which is small and elevated on the back of 

 the tarsus, so that it does not touch the ground in 



