488 



fully hidden as that of the Redshank. The nest itself he describes as being a slight depression 

 in the ground, lined with a few grass bents or fine rootlets. " Often," he writes, " several pairs 

 breed within a very small area ; I have found nests not ten paces distant from each other. 

 The various pairs lived in amity together, and joined in uttering their cries when I approached. 

 When any one approaches a nest, the male usually warns his mate by uttering a low flute-like 

 note, fiuit ; and I sometimes caught sight of the female running, crouched down, from her nest; 

 and only when she had traversed some distance, and got behind some cover, would she rise into 

 the air and fly circling round, uttering a sharp but not \o\xd pit, pit. Now and again the male 

 would take his turn in circling round ; and when either settled down it always alighted where 

 some unevenness in the ground hid it from view, but would immediately run out to look at the 

 intruder, uttering now and again its note, finit. Should any one approach too close to the nest, 

 the bird will crawl about at a few paces distance on the ground, uttering a mournful note, 

 trarr, trarr, puffing out its feathers, turning its head and dragging one wing, and if pursued will 

 run quickly away, but will recommence its former manoeuvres should one again remain standing 

 still. During the breeding-season the old birds seldom range far away from the nest, and one 

 may observe the male performing curious aerial motions, which probably represent a sort of love- 

 dance, like the drumming of the Snipe. It flies in a peculiar, Bat-like, wavering manner, the 

 wings being very fully extended, the body thrown now on the one and now on the other side ; 

 and it almost describes a circle in its flight, uttering as it flies a peculiar note, which resembles 

 the syllables trit, tritritritrirrrr . The young leave the nest during the first few days after they 

 are hatched, but do not stray far until they are about half-grown, when they betake themselves 

 to the shore — and when able to fly, collect in flocks and wander about." 



Eggs of the present species in my collection, from Kent, Sussex, and the Holstein coast, 

 have the ground-colour lighter or darker clay-ochreous, and are marked with greyish black 

 underlying shell-markings and clearly defined black surface-spots and scratches. They differ 

 from the eggs of vE. hiaticula in having most of the markings irregular and scratchy, almost as 

 if drawn with a pen, whereas in JE. hiaticula they are generally clearly defined roundish spots 

 and blotches. In size they vary from 1^ - by ff to 1^-f by f J inch. 



So far as I can ascertain, the food of the present species is the same as that of the common 

 Hinged Plover 



The specimens figured are an adult male and a female in breeding-plumage, they being those 

 above described. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. H. E. Dresser. 



a, 6 . Rye Harbour, Sussex, May 1860 (E. Booth), b, c,juv. Rye, September 13th and 18th, 1860 (H. E. D.). 

 d, d ad. Rye, May 1870. e, pull. Tangier, 1873 (H. L. Irby). /, ad. Sardinia, March 14th, 1869 (G. E. 

 Shelley), g, 6 ad. Near Constantinople, April 26th, 1863 (Robson). h. Djeddah, Red Sea (S. S. Allen). 



E Mus. H. B. Tristram, 

 a. Alps, February 1856. b, ? . Pulos, February 12th, 1858. c, ? . Tuggurt, December 27th, 1856 {H. B. T.). 



