322 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



for the occurrence of this bird, which is generally a 

 summer visitor to England, arriving here in April 

 and departing in September or October. It would 

 appear, however, occasionally to make an earlier 

 appearance, for the one in my collection was sent to 

 me in the flesh from Exmouth on the 23rd of March, 

 and had been killed at that place the day before. 

 Montagu also mentions one having been killed in the 

 South of Devon still earlier, namely, in February. 

 Mr. E. H. Eodd says ('Zoologist' for 1866), that he 

 has never known this bird taken in the Land's End 

 district in the summer, but that it is not unfre- 

 quently obtained there in the winter, which he 

 attributes to the latitude of the Lizard and the 

 Land's End being about the same as the northern 

 boundary of this species in its continental winter 

 quarters. 



As far as this county is concerned I have only 

 heard of one appearance of this bird besides the one 

 above mentioned, and that was some years ago in 

 the neighbourhood of Ilminster, but I have been 

 able to glean no particulars about it. It has, how- 

 ever, occasionally occurred in the neighbouring 

 county of Dorset, as well as in that of Devon. 



The food of the Great Plover appears to consist of 

 worms, insects and their larvae, small snails and 

 slugs. Yarrell says they are also believed to kill 

 small Mammalia and small reptiles, for which their 

 stout frame and large beak seem sufficiently powerful. 



