io6 THE BRITISH NATURE BOOK 



scrapes made by the cock bird in the course of his curious courting ; and 

 in many of them (as in the nest proper) a stone is frequently found. I believe 

 the cock bird lies on this, and uses it to round the nest if not, to derive some 

 ecstatic pleasure from riding it. I have seen a domestic pigeon do the same 

 thing. The eggs, four in number, are yellow or olive-brown, spotted and 

 blotched with darker colour. Unfortunately, they are too often taken for 

 the market, to satisfy the gourmet's appetite ; yet the bird is one of the most 

 useful existing, feeding entirely upon insects, slugs, and other creatures in- 

 jurious to the crops. 



Plover, Grey. Does not breed in Great Britain, being only a winter 

 visitor, the young birds arriving in flocks from Russia in September, followed 

 by the older ones in October and November. A few remain with us for 

 the winter, but most pass on to their destination in Africa, returning in 

 spring till May. The call-note is a double whistle, first short and then 

 drawn out. 



The bird is distinguished from the Golden Plover, which it otherwise 

 resembles, by the black-and-white bars and checks on the back and head in 

 its summer plumage ; it possesses also a short hind-toe. In winter the under 

 parts are chiefly white, but the upper parts become " an almost uniform 

 ash-brown," with whitish edges to the feathers. 



Plover, Kentish. Is a very rare bird, only found breeding on the coast 

 of Kent and Sussex, where it is a summer visitor only. It has a black beak 

 and legs, and the black on the breast is broken into a patch on each side of 

 the neck. It lays its eggs in a scrape on the beach. They vary in colour 

 from a light stone to deep tawny brown, and have some well-defined streaks 

 and scrolls besides the spots. 



The bird is " a noisy little bird," flying in a bat-like manner, with quick 

 wavering movements, and utters an alarm note, " Fluit," its call-note 

 being " Pui," uttered at fairly long intervals. Its food is the same as the 

 Ringed Plover's marine animals, crustaceans, and insects. 



Plover, Ringed. Is a fairly common resident, especially on the coast, 

 though it is found sometimes inland, on waste grounds and open spaces. 

 Generally its nest will be found on a shingle beach, or on sands near the sea, and 

 it varies from a mere scrape to an actual attempt to line a nest with pebbles, 

 broken shells, and dried grass or other material. The eggs (usually four) are, 

 like those of the other plovers, pear-shaped, of a yellowish stone colour, blotched 

 and spotted with dark brown or black. It will be observed that these always 

 lie with the pointed ends towards each other, in which position they occupy 

 less space, and are more easily covered by the bird than in any other. 



The bird itself is distinguished by its grey-brown crown and back, the 

 broad black band which passes across the white breast, right round the neck, 

 the characteristic black-and-white face markings, and the yellow legs. It 

 has also an orange beak with a black tip. Its plaintive alarm note is a kind 

 of whistle, "TuH-tuli," uttered often when on its graceful flight, skimming 



