162 CHARADRIID.E. 



carries its body in a horizontal position on straight legs, and 

 its head very close to its body, consequently increasing the 

 thick appearance of the head. 



Its flight is like that of the golden plover, and very quick, 

 but it mostly opens its wings above its body before it starts, 

 and thereby shews the black colour of its breast to great ad- 

 vantage. It flies frequently near the ground, but during its 

 migration it travels at a great height in companies forming 

 two lines, headed by one bird ; the lines extending to the 

 right and left : this species also flies faster than any other of 

 the plovers. 



The adult birds of this species are very watchful, and do 

 not allow a person to approach them within gun-shot ; young 

 birds are not so difficult to approach, and sometimes during 

 the middle of the day, when they roost, they are so drowsy 

 that it is easy at that moment to steal upon them. 



The nature of the Grey Plover is sociable, not only towards 

 its own species, but to every other coast-bird ; when a party 

 of them either go towards the shore or leave it for the mea- 

 dows and flat wastes, they unanimously keep together, but 

 when alighting, they mix with every other species, and thus 

 produce a motley group. 



The call-note is very much like that of the golden plover, 

 expressed somewhat like the word tleewee or gleewee. When 

 this species is obtained alive, either in a mature or young 

 state, it soon becomes tame, and lives for a length of time. 



The reproduction of the species is supposed to take place 

 in the most northern climates, but respecting the nest and 

 eggs nothing certain is as yet known. 



The Grey Plover measures eleven inches and a half, 

 the beak, one inch ; the wing, seven inches eleven lines ; 

 the naked part of the tibia, ten lines ; the tarsus, one inch 

 eleven lines. 



