LAPWING OR PEEWIT. 263 



THE LAPWING OR PEEWIT. 



VANELLUS CRISTATUS. 

 Ctircag, adharcan-luachrach. Pibhinn. 



THIS beautiful bird is very abundant throughout the western 

 counties of Scotland, and, indeed, over the whole of north Britain, 

 with the exception of some parts of Sutherland and Caithness. It 

 is very generally distributed, in the breeding season, on many of 

 the cultivated uplands, and is found, in suitable places, in great 

 numbers, extending to the inner islands, but becoming much 

 scarcer westward of that group. In lona and Mull, Mr Graham 

 states that it is common at all times of the year, frequenting moors 

 and the sea shore alternately, and breeding on almost all the 

 neighbouring islands, even the very smallest, especially if there is 

 a patch of wet boggy ground somewhere on its surface. 



The well-known cry of the Lapwing has rendered it in almost 

 every country district one of the most familiar birds of spring, and 

 has given rise to a variety of names bearing more or less a resem- 

 blance to it. Hence the French name dix huit, and the Gaelic one 

 pibhinn (pronounced peeveeri); and also the more common names of 

 Peewit and peeseweep, appealing, as they do, to one's recollections 

 of upland country life, and many pleasant sights and sounds with 

 which the summer haunts of the bird are associated. 



In the wildest tracts of moorland, the Lapwing is often found 

 breeding at a considerable distance from any homestead or shieling, 

 away in the barren wastes abandoned to Highland sheep and 

 black game. There, in the bare patches that meet the eye green 

 spots in the midst of the brown and flowerless heath small com- 

 panies congregate and occupy their encampments with watchful 

 care. At this season the vigilant creatures are easily alarmed, and 

 become restless and clamorous on the appearance of any object, 

 whether man or dog, keeping up a constant and wailing outcry 

 so long as the cause of their disturbance remains in sight. In 

 some parts of the south of Scotland the Lapwing is on this account 

 looked upon with great dislike, the behaviour of one of these 

 colonies calling to memory the betrayal of persecuted Covenanters, 

 whose movements on the hill side were in constant danger of 

 detection by their enemies being so guided to their places of con- 



