BIRDS FOUND ON OUR SOUTHERN MANORS. 39 



brownish white, each feather having a central streak of 

 blackish brown ; under parts almost white, with long, narrow, 

 longitudinal streaks of brown ; vent and under tail coverts 

 buffy white without streaks; legs and toes yellow; claws 

 black ; whole length seventeen inches, the females resembling 

 the males in size and colour. In the young birds also the 

 colours are the same, but the markings less bright and dis- 

 tinct. The great plover is usually found in large unenclosed 

 fields, heaths, and warrens, and is very wary, so as to be 

 difficult of approach. They lay on the ground, the eggs being 

 of a pale clay brown, blotched and spotted with ash blue and . 

 dark brown ; in length two inches and two lines by one inch 

 and seven lines in breadth. These birds feed on worms, 

 slugs, and insects. 



The GOLDEN PLOVER (Charadrius pluvialis), also called 

 the YELLOW PLOVER and GREEN PLOVER, is often a difficult 

 bird to make out, in consequence of the change of plumage 

 which takes place between the winter and summer. Thus 

 in the summer the adult bird has the beak black ; iris very 

 dark brown, almost black ; on the forehead a band of white ; 

 all the upper parts greyish black, the edges of all the feathers 

 having triangular-shaped spots of gamboge yellow ; wing 

 primaries black ; tail feathers obliquely barred with shades 

 of greyish white and brownish black ; the lore, chin, sides of 

 the neck, and all the under parts of the body jet black as far 

 as the vent, the black being bounded on the sides by a baud 

 of white under the wing ; axillary plume elongated and pure 

 white ; under tail coverts white. On the other hand, in 

 winter the chin is white ; front of neck and breast white, 

 tinged and spotted with dull yellow ; the upper parts of the 

 body nearly as in the summer. Thirdly, at the periods 

 between the two seasons, these birds may be seen for a 

 time with the under parts of a mixed plumage between the 

 two. The length of the golden plover is eleven inches, both 

 male and female being alike in that respect as well as iii 

 plumage at the same season of the year. Young birds during 

 their first autumn have the breast much darker in colour 

 than the same part of the old birds in winter. The hen lays 

 four eggs of a yellowish stone colour, blotched with brownish 

 black, in length two inches by one inch and four lines. These 



