90 PLOVERS.— LAPWINGS. 



on naked and extended planes ; it flies little, but runs with great 

 rapidity. It nests in fields of grain, and often unites in bands 

 of from fifty to sixty individuals. 



23. The Little Bustard, — Otis tetrax, — is more than one half 

 smaller than the preceding ; it is brown, dotted with black above, 

 and whitish beneath. It is less frequently met with than the 

 Great Bustard. 



24. The Plovers, — Charadrms, — {Plate 5, fg. 6.) like the 

 preceding, have no thumb ; but their moderate beak is com- 

 pressed and swelled at the end ; their wings are moderate, and 

 they fly well. They habitually frequent sea-coasts, the mouths 

 of rivers, maritime marshes, and feed chiefly on worms, which 

 they induce to crawl out of the ground by striking their feet upon 

 it. Some species live solitary, and others in small troops. They 

 emigrate every year, in more or less numerous troops, and it is 

 chiefly in the autumn during the rains, that they are seen in 

 greatest numbers ; from this circumstance they have obtained 

 their name. When on land, they are in constant motion, and 

 they fly in a long file. Their flesh is delicate and esteemed: in 

 those provinces where they are common, many are taken by 

 means of nets. The species of France are seen only in autumn 

 and spring ; they are the Dotterel, the Golden Plover ^ and the Ring 

 Plover; they are all found in the United States. There are 

 several species which have a horny spur on the carpal end of the 

 forearm. 



25. The Lapwings, — VaneUus, — differ from Plovers in having 

 a thumb, but it is so small that it does not touch the ground. 

 Their habits are the same, and they often go in company with 

 them. 



26. The Crested Lapwing, — VaneUus cristatus, — inhabits 

 Europe; it is a pretty bird of the size of a Pigeon, bronze 

 black with a long and slender crest, [Plate 5, fig, 7.) It arrives 

 in France in the spring, builds its nest in the fields, and remains 

 through the summer ; but most of the species very soon after 

 their arrival, continue their course to the north, and return in 

 the autumn. 



27. [The Oyster-Catchers, — Hcematopus, — have a somewhat 

 longer beak than the Plovers or Lapwings. They dwell exclu- 

 sively along the borders of the sea, frequenting beaches and 



23. What are the characters of the Litile Bustard ? 



24. What are the characters of the Plovers ? From what circumstance 

 do they derive their name ? What are their habits ? 



25. How do Lapwings differ from Plovers ? 



26. What is the Crested Lapwing ? 



27. How are the Oyster-catchers characterised? What are their habits? 



