GEEY PLOVER 233 



of me, and it was most interesting to see some of them 

 suddenly coming to a standstill right in the middle of the 

 bright path formed by the moon's rays, which were, at the 

 time, casting a gleam over the boundless shore and tide. 



In my experience this bird is tamer at night than in the 

 day, though I have little doubt that it can discern an 

 intruder at some distance. Its plaintive cry of alarm may 

 be heard in the darkness a long way off, yet I have 

 approached within easy shooting-range by simply walking 

 up to the bird. 



Food. The food consists of various marine insects, 

 minute shell-fish and vegetable matter, obtained for the most 

 part on the strand, but sometimes the bird will enter the 

 water and swim for a short distance in pursuit of tiny fish 

 and shrimps ; Mr. A. Williams writes me that he has noticed 

 " Grey Plovers walk into the water until they were out of 

 their depth and then swim a distance of some feet from the 

 edge of the strand, apparently seeking food, as I observed 

 them picking at some objects under the surface ; some of 

 them would take flight back again to the gravel, rising 

 heavily out of the water." 



Voice. The Grey Plover is a very noisy coast-bird. Its 

 cry is almost as incessant as that of the Redshank or 

 Curlew. On the slightest provocation, it pours forth its 

 wailing whistle, which sounds something like tlee-ih, or 

 chee-ee. Not conspicuous on the ground, it soon betrays its 

 presence by its voice to the shore-shooter whom it cleverly 

 evades by its wariness, comparatively few birds falling 

 victims on the open strand to the ordinary shoulder-gun. 



Flight. On the wing it pursues a less tortuous path 

 than the Golden Plover, but the flight of the two species 

 is equally strong and swift. 



Nest The nest is a mere scraping in the bare ground, 

 or in grassy or moor-land soil. The eggs, four in number, 

 are on an average darker in ground-colour, than those of 

 the Golden, but lighter than those of the Green Plover, 

 and, like the eggs of both the latter species, they are richly 

 spotted and blotched with brownish-black (Seebohm). 



Geographical distribution. The breeding-range covers 

 a vast area of the Arctic regions of Eastern Europe, Asia, 

 and America, but to Iceland, Scandinavia, and Greenland, 

 the bird is a rare visitant. Many eggs and young were 

 taken on the Tundras of the Petchora in 1875 by Mr. Harvie- 

 Brown and the late Mr. Seebohm (Seebohm, ' Siberia in 



