LAPWINGS. 481 
The first toe may or may not be present, and the presence or absence of 
that toe affords grounds for dividing the group into two sections, which some 
writers (whom we follow) consider worthy of generic distinction; the four-toed 
types being termed Vanellus, while those with but three toes are designated 
Hoplopterus. About fourteen species of lapwings are generally recognised; these 
being distributed over the temperate and tropical portions of Europe, Asia, 
Africa, and South America. These birds derive their common English name from 
their slow and flapping flight, which is at the same time graceful, and often very 
erratic. In general habits they closely resemble the plovers, but most of them are 
gregarious at all seasons, and in summer their favourite haunts are open downs, 






























COMMON LAPWING (4 nat. size). 
moors, fallows, or marshy commons, although some kinds seek the neighbourhood 
of the coast in winter. Partially nocturnal, their food comprises insects, worms, 
and molluses; and their well-known cries are loud and frequently melancholy in 
tone. Their nesting-habits and eggs are similar to those of the plovers. 
Four-Toed The common lapwing (Vanellus cristatus) is the typical repre- 
Lapwings. sentative of its genus, and such a familiar bird as to need but little in 
the way of description. Belonging to a group in which there is no spur on the 
wing, this species is specially distinguished by the combination of a metallic lustre 
on the green plumage of the upper-parts, and the absence of white on the wing- 
coverts; while it is also the only member of the two genera in which both the 
upper and under tail-coverts are chestnut-buff. The crest is of great length. This 
handsome bird has the widest geographical range of any of the lapwings, extending 
VOL. IV.—31 
