" Young Ringed Plovers run about directly they leave the egg-shell." 



THE RINGED PLOVER 



E have few British birds that 

 present a more complete 

 scheme of protective color- 

 ation than the Ringed 

 Plover. Adult birds, eggs, 

 and young in down, all 

 harmonise with their 

 natural surroundings in 

 such a way as to make them difficult 

 to detect. On many occasions I have 

 been quite puzzled to locate the where- 

 abouts of a Ringed Dotterel (as the bird 

 is sometimes called), although I could 

 plainly hear its musical call-notes, and 

 have only picked up the creature with 

 my glasses through movement when it 

 took one of its characteristic short, rapid 

 runs. 



This species resides with us all the 

 year round, having its flocks swollen 

 considerably in the winter by migrants 

 from more northern and inclement parts 

 of Europe. 



It breeds on sand, shingle, and rocks 

 by the seashore, on the banks of rivers 



and large bodies of fresh water. When 

 the eggs are laid on sand or shingle a 

 slight hollow is scratched out for their 

 reception, but when on rock a few small 

 shells are generally provided for them 

 to lie upon. Some years ago I found a 

 clutch in a nest formed of pebbles, 

 which bore evidence of having been 

 carried by the bird and placed on a 

 patch of smooth green turf, and the 

 example illustrated at the end of this 

 article plainly shows that the light 

 coloured pebbles had been collected 

 in order to render the appearance of 

 the eggs less conspicuous. On the 

 other hand, I once found a nest con- 

 taining three eggs and a newly hatched 

 chick lying in a slight hollow amongst 

 short silver-weed which did not appear 

 to produce any harmonising effect. 



When the sitting female is disturbed 

 she generally runs a considerable dis- 

 tance from her eggs before uttering a 

 sound of any kind. I have frequently 

 noticed that when the eggs are laid upon 



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