STONE CURLEW 
259 
the old birds swim about with an anxious, watchful 
note, apparently meant to warn the young that the 
coast is not yet clear. 
STONE CURLEW. 
{CEdicnemus scolopax.) 
Great Plover, Whistling Plover, Norfolk Plover, 
Thick-knee. — This curious and interesting bird is 
a lover of wide, dry, open downs and warrens, and 
is still found in some numbers annually in suitable 
parts of the country, such as the North, South, 
Hampshire, and Berkshire Downs, and the wide 
chalky and sandy wastes in south-western Norfolk. 
It is a summer visitor, but occasionally remains for 
the winter, especially in the extreme south-west. 
It appears nearly twice the size of the Common 
Plover, which generally haunts the same tracts of 
country, and is quite different in appearance. As 
seen on the wing, it is greyish-brown above, with 
black tips to the wings (which are much curved, 
like the Plover's), and paler brown beneath ; a 
nocturnal species, it is unwilling to fly by day 
except when disturbed upon its haunts, and then 
generally skims out of range with a rather slow 
and flapping flight near the ground. It has long 
legs and a rather long neck, and when standing 
S 2 
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