36 HABITS AND HAUNTS OF BIRDS 



only been known to breed in the Deccan among tufts of grass on cotton 

 soil. The houbara and the true bustards (Otis) are only found in the 

 arid plains of the extreme north-west. All the bustards lay dark-coloured 

 handsomely marked eggs. 



Plovers, (Cursorius, Rhinoptilus, Glareola, Squatarola, Charadrius, 

 (EgialiteS) Vanellus, Chettusia, Lobivanellus, Sarciophorus, Hoplopttrus, 

 Esacus, (Edicnemus, Strepsilas, Dromas, Hamatopus). Plovers are more 

 or less gregarious and widely spread in India. They frequent open 

 country, avoiding forests entirely as a rule, and feeding on the ground in 

 ploughed or fallow fields. The grey plover (Squatarola helvetica], the 

 golden plover (Charadrius longipes), all the ringed plovers ((Egialites)i 

 except (E. curonicus, the crested lapwing (Vanellus cristatus), the true 

 lapwings (Chettusia), and the oyster catcher (Hamatopus ostralegus), 

 are migratory and only visit this country in the cold season. The 

 remainder are either known or believed to breed in India. The courier 

 plovers (Cursorius), the wattled lapwings (Lobivanellus, Sarciophorus) , 

 and the stone plover ((Edicnemus) breed in fields or plains away from 

 water. Of the breeding of the genus Rhinoptilus nothing is known, but 

 they frequent scanty jungle on rocky hills. The swallow p\overs( Glareola} , 

 the ringed plovers ((Egialiies), the spur- winged plovers (Hoplopterus), 

 and the great stone plover (Esacus) lay their eggs on the bare sand 

 in the beds of great rivers. While the turnstone (Strepsilas inter pres) 

 and the crab plover (Dromas ardeola) lay on the sand on the sea-coast. 

 The eggs of all plovers are dark-coloured and richly marked. 



Cranes, ( Grus, Anthropoides). The only crane that permanently 

 resides in India is the sarus ( Grus antigone). It feeds in open plains 

 and fields, but breeds on islands in swamps among rushes. All the other 

 cranes are migratory visiting India in the winter in large flocks. The eggs 

 are spotted or blotched. 



Snipe, (Scalopax, Gallinago, RhyncJiaa). The painted snipe 

 (R. bengalensis) is the only permanent resident. It is somewhat local 

 and affects thick weeds in marshy places. The woodcock (S. rusticola) 

 visits the lower Himalayas in the winter, also the hilly portions 

 of the south of India. A few pairs at least breed in the alpine 

 Himalayas. The true snipe (Gallinago) are all migratory coming 

 in the cold weather. A few of the common snipe may breed in the north- 

 west Himalayas, but, as a rule, all the snipe go beyond Indian limits 

 to breed. The eS are handsomely marked. 



