148 THE GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL 



southern lands, a great number remain with us for the winter. 

 The young birds are the first to make their appearance, sometimes 

 arriving on our coasts with bits of down still adhering to their 

 plumage. They begin to arrive in August, and continue to do so 

 into September, only a few old birds in their company. During 

 October and November the great bulk of the old birds arrives. 

 The return migration begins in May, and by the end of that 

 month the majority have passed north, although a few linger into 

 June, and odd immature non-breeding birds are sometimes met 

 with in July. During its sojourn in our islands the Gray Plover 

 is almost exclusively confined to the low-lying coasts and salt 

 marshes. It is especially fond of the wide expanses of mud at 

 the mouths of rivers. During winter it does not appear to gather 

 into such large flocks as the Golden Plover, and may often be 

 met with in odd pairs, or in small parties, whilst now and then 

 stray individuals attach themselves to flocks of Dunlins, Knots, or 

 other Waders. In its actions and flight it very closely resembles 

 its congeners. It feeds much at night, especially during moon- 

 light. This food varies according to season, and consists of 

 various marine animals on the shore, and worms, insects, and 

 grubs, and probably ground fruits during summer on the tundras. 

 Mr. Seebohm describes the usual alarm note of the Gray Plover 

 as a long-drawn, plaintive, whistling kop \ the call-note, common 

 to both sexes, is a kl-ee or kleep. It has also a treble note which 

 appears to be a combination of the call and alarm note, sounding 

 like kl-ee-kop. 



Nidification. — Previous to 1875 the breeding habits of the 

 Gray Plover were but little known, and its eggs were very rare in 

 collections. The first authentic eggs of this species were obtained 

 by the Russian naturalist and traveller. Von MiddendorfF, in 

 1843, on the Taimyr peninsula. In 1864 MacFarlane obtained 

 eggs on the tundras near the Arctic Ocean in North America; 

 whilst in 1875 Messrs. Seebohm and Harvie-Brown discovered 

 the breeding grounds of this bird in Europe on the tundras above 

 the limit of forest growth, in the valley of the Petchora in North- 

 east Russia. So far as I can learn no eggs have been taken in 

 Europe since that date. Between June the 22 nd and July 

 the 1 2th these two naturalists took no less than ten nests of the 



