/ WATCHING GREAT PLOVERS, ETC. 9 



motive, though it was strongly suggested. After 

 seeing the quite unmistakable fly -catcher actions I 

 felt more assured as to the other. Yet one may 

 watch starlings for weeks without seeing them pursue 

 an insect in the air. Their usual manner of feeding 

 is widely different — ^viz. by repeatedly probing and 

 searching the ground with their sharp spear -like 

 bills, as does a snipe (with which bird they will some- 

 times feed side by side) with his longer and more 

 delicate one. This is well seen whilst watching them 

 on a lawn. They do not study to find worms lying 

 in the holes and then seize them suddenly as do 

 thrushes and blackbirds. With them it is "blind 

 hookey " ; each time the beak is thrust down into 

 the grass it may find something or it may not. The 

 mandibles are all the time working against each other, 

 evidently searching and biting at the roots of the 

 grass, and at intervals, but generally somewhat long 

 ones, they will be withdrawn, holding within their 

 grasp a large, greyish grub. 



Returning to the stone-curlews. During the day, 

 as I have said, these birds are idle and- lethargic — 

 sitting about, dozing, often, or sleeping — but as the 

 air cools and the shadows fall, they rouse into a glad 

 activity, and coming down and spreading themselves 

 over the wide space of the warrens, they begin to 

 run excitedly about, raising and waving their wings, 

 leaping into the air, and often making little flights, 

 or rather Sittings, over the ground as a part of the 

 disport. As a part of it I say advisedly, for they 

 do not stop and then fly, and on alighting recom- 

 mence, but the flight arises out of the wild waving 

 and running, and this is resumed, without a pause, as 



