HABITS OF THE GREAT PLOVER. 461 



that they had been put up, for, shortly after the last flight had 

 gone, a large drove of cattle, driven by a boy, passed right over 

 where they had been. As the time corresponds with that at 

 which the flights came up whilst I was watching at the bank, I 

 have no doubt that this is the accustomed cause — that the birds, 

 having fed during the night, assemble at early dawn in some 

 chosen place, where, if not disturbed, they would probably 

 remain till the evening; but, if put up, fly to join their fellows 

 at another such place, probably the nearest. 



Yesterday, being Sunday, the cattle were not driven across, 

 and on the stormy morning they may also not have been. Pos- 

 sibly it is a not quite regular occurrence. 



I should note that there had been no "dancing" amongst the 

 birds whilst at the amphitheatre. 



At 5.30 p.m. (raining, and continued so more or less all the 

 time) walked to the bank, and found the birds assembled in the 

 heather as before. I wished to see if they performed the same 

 antics here, before taking flight, as I had been witness of at the 

 amphitheatre. Unfortunately, there are no facilities here for a 

 close view, and it was, even from the beginning, difficult to make 

 the birds out through the glasses. I assured myself, however, 

 that precisely the same thing was going on, and, as I think, 

 rather more so than usual,* so that I regretted much not being 

 able to see better. I should not, however, speak positively, 

 unless I had unmistakably seen some birds dancing in a very 

 vigorous manner, and caught the " dreary gleams " — now more 

 than ever so — very frequently. As the gloom darkened, they 

 were difficult to distinguish from the white tails of the rabbits, 

 but I do not think I ever confounded them. I now feel sure that 

 these antics give expression to the anticipation of going and desire 

 to be gone, which begin to possess these birds as evening falls. 

 They are the prelude to, and they end in, flight. The two, in 

 fact, merge into each other, for short flights, between the antics 

 over the ground, are a part of the display (as I have described), 

 and it is impossible to say which one of them will be continued 

 into the full flight of departure. I also noted that the usual 

 long-drawn wailing note which ordinarily precedes both dance 

 and flight was, this evening, ushered in by a short, one-syllabled 

 * Possibly on account of the rain. 



