76 BRITISH SEA BIRDS. 



it in his Birds of Great Britain ; and by Latham, 

 who described and named it in the supplement 

 to his great work, the Index Ornithologicus, from 

 examples which had been obtained on the Kentish 

 shingles by Mr. Boys of Sandwich. The Kentish 

 Plover bears a superficial resemblance to the Ringed 

 Plover, but may readily be distinguished by the 

 broken pectoral band, represented by a dark 

 patch on each side of the breast, and the reddish- 

 brown nape and crown. Unlike the preceding 

 species, this Plover is a summer migrant only to 

 the British coasts, arriving towards the end of 

 April or early in May, and departing again with 

 its young in August or September. Odd birds, 

 however, have been met with during winter. The 

 Kentish Plover does not differ in its habits in 

 any marked degree from the Ringed Plover, and 

 frequents very similar localities, stretches of sand 

 and shingle. Like that bird, it also gathers into 

 small parties during summer ; but in our islands, 

 where its numbers are limited, we more usually 

 find it in isolated pairs on various suitable parts 

 of the shore. It possesses the same restless habits; 

 running about the wet shining sands and shingles 

 close to the breaking waves, in quest of the sand- 

 hoppers, crustaceans, worms, and other small marine 

 creatures on which it feeds. It cannot be regarded 

 as a shy bird, permitting a somewhat close approach, 

 and manifesting little fear or alarm even when 

 its breeding grounds are invaded by man. Its 



