THE LITTLE RINGED PLOVER 



water lakes, ponds, and streams, to the sea-shore, this species differs but little in 

 habits from the common Ringed Plover, but it is considerably smaller and propor- 

 tionately much more slenderly built than that bird. The eggs of the present species, 

 found by us in Spain were laid in slight depressions of the sand amongst stones 

 and stunted vegetation, without any attempt at a nest ; the complement is four, 

 they are, of course, smaller, and more elongated and thickly speckled, than those 

 of the Ringed Plover. In one instance I came upon three of these eggs on the 

 sand between the wheel-ruts of a rough cart-road." 



Seebohm says {British Birds, vol. iii. pp. 17-18), " It is rather more shy than 

 its larger ally and takes wing more readily. In its flight it is very similar to the 

 Ringed Plover, but its notes are very different from that of either of its near allies. 



" Its ordinary call-note is a loud, clear, plaintive, and monotonous pee, almost 

 lengthened into two syllables. When alarmed the note is pronounced much shorter 

 and repeated more rapidly ; and in spring it is uttered still more rapidly, so as to 

 become continuous, especially at the close of its love song, when it becomes a trill." 



THE KENTISH PLOVER. 



sEgialitis cantiana (Latham). 

 Plate 62. 



A summer visitant to our coasts, this species, which is very local in its distri- 

 bution, breeds regularly on the shores of Kent and Sussex, but elsewhere in 

 England has occurred only as a more or less rare straggler from as far north as 

 Teesmouth, Durham, southwards to the coasts of Devonshire and Cornwall. It is 

 hardly known in Ireland, not having occurred there for many years, but is fairly 

 common in the Channel Islands. 



In Europe it breeds in Southern Sweden, southwards to Spain and the Mediter- 

 ranean, also in North Africa, the Azores, Madeira, Canaries, and Cape Verde 

 Islands. Eastwards it is found during summer frequenting the margins of the 

 Black and Caspian Seas, and ranges across Central Asia as far as Japan. In 

 winter it migrates to Africa, India, Ceylon, Burmah, and the Malay Peninsula. 



The Kentish Plover was first brought to notice by Latham, who described 

 specimens obtained at Sandwich by Dr. Boys in 1787 and 1 791 . In its habits this 

 species resembles the Ringed Plover, but according to Lord Lilford " appears to be 

 more exclusively addicted to shingle and hard sands than that bird." Well on in 

 May, the eggs, usually three in number, are laid in a depression in the sand or 



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