OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 123 



beginning of August. The bird sits little during the day, 

 especially if the sun is shining brightly ; and when the breeding 

 grounds are invaded by man, the parent Plovers manifest little 

 concern, as if fully conscious that the highly protective colours of 

 the eggs will shield them from harm. Incubation lasts from twenty- 

 one to twenty-three or even twenty-four days. When the young 

 are hatched, however, the old birds become much more solicitous, 

 and strive by various artifices to lure an intruder away from their 

 helpless offspring. The broods frequent the shingle more than 

 the sand, and are most adept at hiding themselves when threatened 

 by danger. 



Diagnostic Characters. — ALgialitis, with the underparts 

 white, except the lores, and a dark breast band (black in adult 

 male, brown in female and young), with the central half of the 

 outer webs of the innermost primaries white, and the web between 

 the middle and outer toes only reaching to the first joint. Length 

 of wing, 57 to 5-0 inches. Total length, 8 inches. 



