156 THE LAPWING. 



waterings. The Lapwing, when disposed to make 

 her meal, mounted one of these sods, and, standing 

 on one leg, kept regularly beating the turf with the 

 other. Worms, as we have already shown, in speak- 

 ing of the manner in which Starlings and Thrushes 

 feed upon them, are very sensitive of danger, and 

 their great enemy being the mole, no sooner do they 

 perceive a vibration, or shaking motion, in the earth, 

 than they make the best of their way to the surface, 

 and thus fall into a greater and more certain peril, 

 for, as in the case of the Starling or Thrush, so in 

 the present instance, no sooner did it make its ap- 

 pearance, than the Lapwing drew it out, and having 

 disposed of it, renewed his operations, till he had 

 fully satisfied himself! 



But we have another story to tell of a certain 

 species of Plover's meals, far more extraordinary, 

 and which we should feel great hesitation in relating, 

 had not the original observer of former days, been 

 supported by eye-witnesses of later times. Hero- 

 dotus, an old Grecian historian, asserted, that there 

 was a certain small bird, which, as often as the 

 crocodiles came on shore from the river Nile, flew 

 fearlessly within their jaws, and relieved them 

 of a peculiar kind of leeches which infested their 

 throats. This ancient historian added, that, al- 

 though other birds invariably avoided the croco- 

 dile, it never did this bird any injury. So extra- 

 ordinary a story was treated as fabulous by all 

 naturalists. It is, notwithstanding, strictly true, 

 M. Geoffry Saint Hilaire, an eminent and accurate 

 French naturalist, confirms the fact beyond a 

 doubt. The bird alluded to is the Egyptian Plover 



