THE GOLDEN PLOVER. 59 



At night, and during the evening, these whistling cries 

 are most commonly noticed, and, like the calls of many 

 other birds, are, to a certain extent, ventriloquial, and 

 very deceptive in regard to the direction from which they 

 emanate. 



As already noticed, the nest is generally placed in some 

 marshy, boggy locality. It is not a very elaborate a flair, 

 but consists merely of a few dried twigs of grass, or fibrous 

 roots or branches, scratched or laid together in some hollow 

 or inequality of the ground. The eggs number four, very 

 seldom more or less. They are of a yellowish stone colour, 

 blotched, and largely spotted with brownish-black, and 

 generally lie in the nest with the small ends to the centre. 



The young birds are able to run as soon as they are 

 hatched, and are at first entirely covered with a pretty 

 bright down, of brown and yellow. 



The Golden Plover is about eleven inches in length. 

 The bill is black ; iris, dark brown. In summer there is a 

 band of white on the forehead, which changes in winter 

 to yellowish-white, streaked and spotted with pale brown 

 and grey. The sides of the head are greyish-brown ; 

 crown, nape, and back of neck are greyish or brownish- 

 black, with angular spots of yellow on the entire edge and 

 tip of each feather. The chin, neck, throat, and breast are 

 a deep velvety black, which changes to a light colour 

 in the winter ; at the sides there is a band of white or 

 yellowish-white, below the wings, marbled with black 

 and pale brown. Back deep greyish or blackish-brown, 

 with yellow markings on the feathers. The tail is short, 

 of a deep brown colour, paler towards the outside, and 

 beautifully barred with greyish-white and brownish-black. 

 The under tail coverts are white, the side ones being barred 



