87 
CHAPTER VI, 
probers: THE GREAT, GOLDEN, DOTTEREL, AND RING 
PLOVERS LAPWING TURNSTONE OYSTER CATCHER. 
THE TentatoreSj or Probers, are an order of birds wliicli 
frequent the borders of lakes and rivers, marshy 
grounds, and the shores of the sea, feeding chiefly on 
worms, small shell fish, and insects, which they procure by 
thrusting their bills into the soft mud or sand ; they run 
with great swiftness, often folloAving the returning waves 
far out, and retreating before them Avhen they roll in again, 
thus keeping in a constant state of activity. They have a 
rapid flight, which can be long sustained ; when alarmed 
some of them run a short way, and then take to wing, but 
some will lie close to the ground, and so strive to escape 
detection. They are mostly birds of moderate size, some' 
being as large as the pheasant, and some as small as the 
lark ; their legs are generally long and slender, well adapted 
for wading, and they have loud, shrill, and generally reiter- 
ated cries, to which they give utterance when alarmed or 
excited in any way. The larger birds are extremely shy 
and vigilant, but' the smaller will often allow a near ap- 
proach, when intent on searching for food. 
PLOVERS. 
The Great Plover, sometimes called the Thick-kneed 
Bustard, or Stone Curlew, appears to form a connecting 
link between the Bustards and true Plovers ; its scientific 
name is CEdicnemiis Crepitans, having reference to the 
thick, or swelled appearance of the legs about the knee 
joints, and to the harsh croaking note of the bird, which 
is migratory with us — arriving in the spring, and leaving 
again in the autumn. It is very generally distributed 
