LAPWING OR PEEWIT. 265 



After the breeding season is over, the young broods gather into 

 very large flocks, frequenting pasture lands in the vicinity of the 

 coast, and repairing to shores and estuaries at low tide. * I have 

 observed such flocks resting in conscious security on rough beaches 

 below water mark near Girvan, and also at Dunbar, where the 

 ground is spread over with numerous pools and wet stones resem- 

 bling the lights and shadows of the birds' plumage, and making 

 their detection almost impossible to an unpractised eye. An 

 observer may walk up to these sitting birds within shooting dis- 

 tance unaware of their near presence, the company breaking up 

 quite leisurely by flying off in small detachments, and causing him 

 to wonder how so many invisible birds could have been there. 

 Immense numbers of Lapwings are bred in the neighbourhood of 

 Loch Lomond, in which district I have seen the autumn flocks, 

 numbering thousands of birds, collected on the gravelly shores of 

 Inch Moin, one of the islands. The young ones occasionally take 

 to the water voluntarily, or at least on the slightest appearance of 

 danger, even when but a few days old. I have observed them 

 crossing a sheltered bay from one stony promontory to another to 

 join their fellows when they happened to become separated. 



In the neighbourhood of Glasgow, a pair or two are still seen 

 in spring revisiting their old haunts. Within the last four or five 

 years they have bred in some fields at Dowanhill, not far from the 

 site of the new University. They are still very numerous on some 

 of the hilly farms in the direction of Eaglesham and Mearns Moor, 

 where their nests are plundered apparently to good advantage, 

 judging from the numbers of eggs sent as luxuries to the Glasgow 

 market There appears to be a strange and unreasonable prejudice 

 against the use of this bird as an article of food in Scotland. Its 

 flesh is certainly not much inferior to that of a golden plover, 

 which is allowed to be of a very delicate nature. The doings of 

 Claverhouse and his troopers may have, to some extent, fostered 

 this prejudice. 



I find a very curious note on the destruction of Lapwings by the 



* In some seasons, I have observed Lapwings in very large flocks about the 

 middle of July, and in 1869, these flocks had congregated in Ayrshire early 

 in the month. I found, however, on the sandy pastures of Warren Farm, near 

 Turnberry Castle, on the sea coast, several young broods not more than ten days' 

 old, on the 24th July. Most of the Lapwings had commenced laying in April, 

 so that these late broods must be regarded as unusual. 



