GOLDEN PLOVER. 
CHARJDRIUS PLUFIJLIS. 
Golden Plovers breed in considcrabl<j numbers on the Grouse-moors of many of the northern counties of the 
Highlands; I have come across their haunts repeatedly in Perthshire, Ross-shire, Sutherland, and Caithness 
as well as in the Western Islands, ’ 
A late snow-stram in the spring appears occasionally to put an almost entire stop to their nestinir 
operations and to drive most of these birds from the country. While living in Glenlyon, in Perthshire, where 
I rented the Innerwick shootings, I noticed there were hundreds of pairs of this species on the moors in 1808 • 
hut the weather being exceedingly hot, I deferred procuring any of the downy young for specimens, as it 
was utterly impossible that they could make the journey to the taxidermist at Brighton without decomposition 
setting in. I then determined to bring, next season, a naturalist to the glen, who could attend to them the 
day they were obtained On reaching Innerwick the following year in June, I learned from the keepers that 
he Golden Plovers had arrived at the usual time and in their accustomed numbers : a heavy fall of snow 
however had driven nearly the whole of them away, and but very few had returned to breed on the hills ■ I 
do not think here were above eight or ten pairs engaged in nesting operations over the whole stretch of groimd 
After a week s hard work, we succeeded in finding three broods and one nest of eggs ; in no simple instance did 
tie family consist of more than two juveniles, and this fact tended to prove the effects of the cold and the 
ar ships to which the newly hatched youngsters had been exposed. We found it almost impossible to watch 
e old birds settle to their young, as they always kept at some distance from the spot where their treasures 
ereabouts of the juveniles be detected. While the old birds are flying round, the young remain perfcetlv 
quiet; in a few minutes, however, after they are kilted the tiny mites comnience calUng. The note is very 
geZllylt Tour'Z “ bird is 
Ll Z f I \ f ““ ‘be little Plovers needed, wc weic preparing to turn down 
h U towards the lodge, when a pair of old birds and a couple of downy juveniles came in view, makZ 
z Tr r r ^ ^ -^e of the hm. The 13 ; 
iu the bTck peat mos being carefully watched tilt they disappeared from sigh^ 
m the black peat-moss beyond the snow-drift-and a very pretty sight it was. There is little doubt 
laidl "f of ‘be most backward, of the birds must have 
laid before the snow fell, and the greater part, if not all, of their eggs have been destroyed. 
they commenl'Z"'™*!”* “ ‘beir greatest beauty, they must be shot some time before 
y mence their nesting operations; the glossy hlack feathers tlien rapidly become speckled with 
rrZdZkem “ ‘be carcroZ^S 
I have also repeatedly observed Golden Plovers very tame, resting in the fields and paying little 
