BLACK-HEADED PLOVER 
Pluvianus aegyptius 
Arabic, Ter el timsah 
Top of head black, as also is a band through eye which 
meets the black and across chest; wing and sides of back 
a very beautiful pale lilac blue-grey, under-parts white, lower 
throat and flanks a creamy rufous, legs bluish, eye brown. 
Total length, 8-5 inches. 
TuIs is regarded as quite certainly the bird known 
in ancient days as the Crocodile Bird. It was 
held to be the faithful attendant of this fear- 
some reptile, warning it of danger: and when the 
creature it fed was full, this little bird was supposed 
to attend to the proper cleaning of the ogre's teeth ! 
For this purpose, we are told, the crocodile would 
lie quietly with its great mouth wide open whilst 
this brave little dentist ran about briskly right 
into the open jaws and deftly removed noisome 
leech or scrap of food left between those ugly 
fangs, and never showing the slightest fear. It is 
a pretty story, but as there are now no crocodiles 
in Egypt proper, the ordinary traveller has no 
chance of seeing if this be so or no. But though 
the crocodiles are gone the Black-headed Plover is 
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