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CHAPTER VII. 



SOME WILDFOWL. 



THE LAPWING. 

 (Vanellus vulgdris.) 



THE reedlands and meadow-lands, moist fields, marsh 

 and lake districts, would be desolate and lifeless without 

 the beautiful Lapwings. They wheel and flap, and 

 twist, and wheel again, on the large open uplands, so 

 that their varied plumage almost dazzles the eye, and 

 when several pairs frequent the same field they embellish 

 air and sky. When the nesting time arrives the whole 

 neighbourhood resounds with the call which the bird 

 utters while in flight. The call-note sounds like 

 " Keevit," from which, of course, its name is taken. 

 The pairing note sounds like "Ka kerkhoit, kewit, kewit, 

 kewit, kewit." It can run well and quickly on the 

 ground. If a dog or a crow approaches the nest it flies 

 at it with a loud, despairing cry, "Chrait," and strikes 

 at the enemy with its beak ; if a man shows himself it 

 practices all kinds of cunning tricks. It flies along near 

 the ground, repeatedly stopping, and so lures him away 

 from the nest. The eggs of the Lapwing are much 

 sought after. Its usual food consists of worms, the 

 various kinds of snails, chafers, grasshoppers. In 

 autumn it covers the fields and meadows in great flocks 

 like a cloud, and destroys the pests of agriculture. It 

 departs in winter. It is recommended for protection 

 both on account of its beauty and its usefulness. 



