200 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 
rompings cease, and their emotions tone down as they sub- 
side into the modest parents of a hopeful family. When 
wounded they dive even better than Zotanus hypoleucos, 
shaking off the crystal drops from their glossy black backs, 
and baffling the attempts of your attendant to retrieve them. 
The “Pluvian,” or Black-headed Plover, as it is more 
correctly called, is a noticeable feature in the scenery of the 
Nile. Hasselquist characterised it as the Egyptian Dotterel. 
He says it is found in the plains feeding on insects, which is 
hardly a correct statement; and he includes it in his list of 
migratory birds under the months of September and Octo- 
ber, which is wrong again, as it is a resident. Nevertheless, 
he was a good naturalist for his day. It is easy for men 
who know better to carp at him now, but the wonder is that 
he made so few mistakes. 
I never noticed that the present species and the Spur- 
winged Plover could raise the occipital feathers into the 
kind of low crest represented in the plate of Savigny. 
163. STONE-CURLEW, dicnemus crepitans, Tem. 
(Hasselquist, 28, 32); “Karavan.” 
What would be the astonishment of a West Norfolk 
gamekeeper to see the Stone-Curlews perching on houses at 
Damietta? Our Diabeyha was moored near an ancient 
“casern,” now fast falling into ruins: the roof of this edifice 
was their favourite resort. Twice we laid up for the evening 
flight, but in vain, and we had to content ourselves with 
listening to their shrill whistle, and watching their dark 
forms against the sky. Up the Nile they were seen at 
various places—always I think in pairs—and specimens ob- 
tained at Fechn, Minieh, and How. At the Faioum, also 
the Kzravan, as it was there called, was rather common. 
They are such swift runners that you have very little chance 
