THE BIRD LIFE OF THE BRECK DISTRICT. 
Written and Illustrated with Photographs by Wm. Farren. 
PART II. 
be a field where lapwings: are nesting, and you will probably be attracted by 
the somewhat ostentatious flight of several birds. as they flap away—they are 
the males, and they will have given the alarm to the sitting females; the latter you 
will hardly notice as they go silently away close over the ground until well away 
from their nests. The rimged ployer, and especially the stone-curlew, are still more 
cautious, and yun for a considerable distance before taking flight. It is the same 
when returning; neither species will fly straight to the nest, but alighting some distance 
off will run towards it, occasionally stoppimg to glance suspiciously around or make 
pretence of looking for food, and passing the nest perhaps several times, before, 
apparently feeling satisfied that they are unobserved, crouching low down, they run 
rapidly to the eggs, which they imspect carefully, sometimes turning them about with 
ther bills as though lovingly caressmg them, and often giving utterance the while to 
low crooning sounds. Should the lapwing have young all caution is thrown aside; flying 
to and fro over—sometimes very near—the head of the intruder, screaming thei famuliar 
ery of ‘‘pee-wit!” while the music of their wing-beats through the air adds considerably 
to the din, they try their utmost to lure him away from where the young ones— 
downy balls of dark grey and white fluff—are skulking close to the ground. Should 
these young ones, and also those of the ringed plover, vealise that they are detected, 
they will run with incredible swiftness, when it is not easy to keep them in sight; 
then suddenly sink flat on the ground again, where they remain as before until frightened 
into another run. In contrast to the noisy manifestations of the lapwing, the stone- 
curlew is quieter even than before the eggs are hatched, and it needs a very sharp 
eye to detect it as it runs, crouched low down, often for one or two hundred yards, 
and disappearing over some slight eminence before taking wing; the young, which are 
covered with a curious close, greyish stone-coloured down, with longitudinal dorsal stripes, 
are meanwhile stretched out flat on the ground as motionless as the stones they so 
much resemble. 
Although the characteristic attitude of this bird when skulking has been more 
noticed in the young, it is none the less practised by adults. Like many other birds, 
they show less fear of one on horseback or driving than on foot, often allowing a very 
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