128 HALF-HOURS IN THE GREEN LANES. 



eggs are collected and sent to the London market. 

 The practice of selling them as " plover's eggs " is 

 as old as the time of Sir Thomas Brown, who refers 

 to it. The peewit may be called a resident species, 

 and few will deny that it is an ornament to our 

 open spaces, and always seems to give to them by 

 its cries, in our opinion, an additional wildness and 

 charm. As a rule, however, great numbers of the 

 peewits move southward on the approach of winter ; 

 these and other birds, by their semi-migratory 

 habits, connecting the actually migratory and non- 

 migratory species. As a rule, you will find them 

 returning to the same spot, year after year, for 

 nesting purposes, beginning to pair towards the end 

 of March, and forming their slight nests (on the 

 ground) in April. Every one is acquainted with the 

 olive-brown eggs, spotted and dashed at the larger 

 end with a darkish umber colour. How soon the 

 young learn their best policy is concealment ! They 

 are active as soon as they are hatched, and whenever 

 a supposed enemy approaches, cower down close to 

 the ground, so that their mottled brown backs render 

 it difficult to identify them. Beetles, land-snails, 

 and, when the peewits get to the shore, crustaceans, 

 such as sandhoppers, shrimps, &c., form their -food. 

 The reason for the many names given to this bird is 

 not difficult to find. That of " peewit " denotes its 

 cry, that of " lapwing " is a good allusion to its 

 limping flight ; its metallic green back has earned for 

 it the title of " green plover," whilst the change to 



