ORDER GRALL^.. 405 



which it bears at Buenos Ayres, and the second is in use in 

 Paraguay. This species is very common in those countries, 

 and sedentary there. It neither frequents waters nor woods, 

 and never rests but on the ground. These birds are usually 

 seen in couples. Their flight is neither rapid, nor elevated, 

 though sometimes it is considerably prolonged. These lap- 

 wings make curvettings in the air, sometimes holding them- 

 selves sideways, sometimes with the belly upward. They 

 walk with short and frequent steps, the head and neck remain- 

 ing unmoved. They are far from being wild or distrustful, 

 and will fly round people as they walk along, as if desirous 

 of assailing them with their bills ; they do the same thing 

 when they behold the caracara, or any other bird, or quad- 

 ruped, approaching their nests. The females lay in the mid- 

 dle of October or November, and the eggs are four at the 

 most, of a clear olive-colour, marbled with black ; the female 

 deposits them on some blades of grass, and sometimes even on 

 the ground itself. The little ones follow the parents as soon 

 as they are born. When any one approaches the young, tlie 

 old ones cry out with all their force, extend their wings, 

 suffering them to trail along, and begin to run and flutter, for 

 the purpose of misleading or removing the object of their 

 fear, so that it is easy to judge, from their gestures, if their 

 eggs or young ones are in the neighbourhood. If they per- 

 ceive that any person is about to carry off their progeny, they 

 become furious, and assail the robber so closely as even to 

 touch his hat. 



Another lapwing, a native of Senegal, Vanellus Senegalus, 

 has a habit worth remarking here. As soon as those birds 

 behold a man, they commence to cry with all the force of 

 their voice, and to hover round him, as if for the purpose of 

 warning the other birds, which, the instant they hear them, 

 take to flight and escape. They thus prove a serious annoy- 

 ance to the hunters. From this circumstance the French 



VOL. VIII. II H 



