GOLDEN PLOVER 
in many of the northern and western parts of the 
kingdom. It is a little smaller than the common 
Peewit, and lacks its conspicuous crest, while its 
wings are not so long and crooked in flight. There 
is a great difference between its summer and winter 
states of plumage. In winter, when it is most 
familiar, its upper parts are medium brown, thickly- 
spotted with dullish yellow, and the under parts 
dull white, tinged with yellowish-brown upon the 
breast. Early in spring, however, the whole of 
the cheeks, breast, and under parts begin to turn 
jet black, while the back also becomes darker in 
shade, and this plumage remains till nearly the end 
of the summer. The black on the hen bird is not 
so complete as in the case of the cock. The last 
of the flocks of Golden Plover have, as a rule, 
split up and paired off in their mountain and 
moorland haunts by the beginning of May. The 
nest may be found from the middle of April ; it is 
a mere hollow, scantily lined with bents, among 
the grass, moss, or heather of the moors, and is 
often but very little hidden, though the eggs are 
well concealed by their colour. They are four in 
number and large for the size of the bird, being 
a little larger than the Peewit^s, and rather less 
pointed in shape. They are much like them in 
colour and markings, but the ground-colour is 
more yellow, or even dull reddish-brown, and the 
