Birds by Land and Sea 



wide circles, piping continuously, the young ones 

 responding as lustily. They seldom ventured very 

 near, although if the peculiar performance of the 

 hen bird, by which she is generally held to feign to 

 be wounded, is really intended to convey such an 

 impression, one might have expected her to afford us 

 a nearer view, so as the more surely to attract 

 attention. As it was, I was able to get a snap only 

 at a considerable distance. The bird gets its head 

 down, depresses and expands the tail, lifts the wings, 

 and either gives both wings a flickering motion, or 

 lays one to the ground whilst the other is carried 

 high in air ; the whole while she continues to run 

 from the observer with a dragging, and sometimes 

 rolling, motion. The action which most disposes 

 one to accept the usual statement that this is done to 

 attract attention from her chicks by drawing it to 

 herself is that, whilst so occupied, she continually 

 casts backward glances as if to see if her device is 

 taking effect. This theory presupposes that the bird 

 knows that if it can convince the observer that it is 

 wounded, he will pursue it. This, however, seems 

 rather advanced logic for a ringed plover, although I 

 must admit that appearances favour the theory. If 

 really pursued, the bird takes wing readily. I 

 noticed that when the female was thus dragging 

 herself along the ground, the cock generally flew 

 across to her. 



After photographing the chicks, we set them free 

 to follow their parents. This they did, running 



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