102 BIRDS OF THE WORLD 



long and pointed, and the form is slender and graceful. 

 The Pratincole breeds in many parts of the continent 

 of Europe, but is only occasionally seen in the British 

 Islands. Like the Swallow, it catches much of its food 

 on the wing — beetles, grasshoppers and locusts form- 

 ing the principal prey — and it runs very nimbly along 

 the ground. This bird is in many of its characters 

 unlike the true Plovers, and is regarded as a descend- 

 ant of a more ancient stock — as a side branch of the 

 tree that gave rise to the typical Plovers. It has no 

 representative in this country. See Plate 31, Fig. 

 175. 



A good example of the true Plover is the Golden 

 Plover, a bird widely distributed throughout both the 

 Old World and the New, and known under many 

 names. The American species is slightly smaller than 

 the European, but resembles it in colouration. See 

 Plate 30, Fig. 170. 



In the breeding season this bird dons a gorgeous 

 plumage, greyish above, thickly spotted with black, 

 and all black below, but in the autumn the jet-black 

 feathers of the under-parts become replaced by white, 

 while the upper loses some of the black markings and 

 becomes more golden in tone. 



There are many species of Ringed Plover, the one 

 figured being a common European and American 

 shore-bird. This bird builds no nest, but deposits its 

 eggs in a slight depression in the sand, and from their 

 close resemblance to the surrounding stones, they are 

 exceedingly difficult to locate. The nestlings are also 

 very inconspicuous on the sand of the beach. See 

 Plate 80, Fig. 178. 



