218 CHAKADKIIDJE 



that the nest may appear quite deserted of its owners. 

 When hatching is nearly completed the female sits more 

 closely and the male is more often by her side. When 

 the young birds are running about, both parents watch them 

 most anxiously and will feign lameness 1 or a broken wing 

 to decoy an enemy from their little ones. Kinged Plovers 

 occasionally make the mistake of laying their eggs a little 

 below high-water mark ; indeed I have seen the eggs carried 

 off by the incoming tide. At other times I have .observed 

 them deserted and half buried in the sand, particularly after 

 a storm. 



FIG. 30. HEAD OF RINGED PLOVER. Nat. size. 



Geographical distribution. Abroad, the Ringed Plover 

 nests in Temperate and Arctic Europe, including Iceland. 

 Eastward it may be traced across Siberia, a small race 

 occurring in Central Asia, and North Africa. The larger 

 race also occurs in Greenland. On migration in autumn 

 arid winter it is distributed widely over the rest of the 

 European and the greater part of the Asiatic Continents, 

 the small race reaching to South Africa and India. 



1 I have scores of times seen Ringed Plovers pretending to be 

 wounded, but perhaps the most interesting observation on this habit 

 was made at Ireland's Eye, on June 17th, 1900. Here, over a rough 

 stony beach I saw a Ringed Plover tumbling about with its leg and 

 wing trailing until it reached a pool into which it fluttered and splashed. 

 Thinking it might be really disabled I gave chase, but found I was 

 deceived, for, emerging from the far side of the pool, the bird tumbled 

 along for a few yards and then new off. It was the most perfect piece 

 of mimicry I have ever witnessed : after a short search I found two 

 young ones, still in the down. 



