2 
GEEY PLOVEil. 
in my direction. Turning my head round suddenly I caught sight of the Grey Plover running towards the 
nest within fifty yards of me. I lifted my gun and fired again, hut was so nervous that I missed her a second 
time. I was so vexed that I got up and walked towards the Skua, which still remained in statu quo. I missed 
a shot at it too, spent some time in a vain search for its nest, and returned to my old quarters. In ten minutes 
I saw the Grey Plover flying up. It wheeled round in my direction, coming almost within shot, and evidently 
took stock of me, and satisfied itself tliat I was a harmless animal practising with blank cartridge, havino- no 
evil design upon its eggs. It alighted about fifty yards beyond the nest, and approached less'Vmidly than 
before. When it came within fifty yards of me I fired, this time with no. G shot, and laid the poor bird upon its 
back. As we returned to our boat Ilarvie-Brown found a fourth nest, and, after watching as before, secured 
the bird. We accidentally broke two of the eggs belonging to the third nest, but reached Alexievka at 
midnight with fourteen identified Grey Plover’s eggs. Two sittings were quite fresh, and made us an excellent 
omelette for breakfast the next morning. The other two were very slightly incubated.” It is only on the mud- 
flats and the salt-water shingle-banks that this species is found, and there are few, but punt-gunners, who could 
give an account of its habits. In all my wanderings I never met with one of these birds on Highland lochs 
Norfolk broads, or any inland water. Though a few scattered flocks are occasionally seen in winter, it is, as a 
rule, only in spring and autumn, while on their way to and from their breeding-haunts in the desolate reo-ions 
of the fai north, that the Grey Plovers pay flying visits to our shores. 
I nder the date of January 1st, 1881 (wind south-west and moderate), I find it entered in my notes that 
while shooting in the punt off Shoreham, we met with large flocks of Curlew and Grey Plover, and both species 
remained for some weeks along the sliingle-banks between the coast-guard station and Shoreham pier The 
waves rolling on the shore were generally too heavy to work the gunning-punt sufficiently close for a successful 
shot, but ten or a dozen were now and then stopped, and once or twice over a score. The Plover I remarked 
were very heavy at this season, so it was evident they fared sumptuously on some of the flats near at hand 
probably in the harbour, when all was still and quiet at night. 
I find the following entries in my notes concerning this species when observed on the south coast alon^^ the 
shores of the Channel : — ° 
“ Septemta- l«h. 1882. Shot half a dozen young Grey Plovers at Shoreham, while flying along the coast, 
the buds being m remarkably good condition and exceedingly heavy. The colouring of the upper mandibles 
V as dark horn, lower mandibles near the base warm red flesh ; legs and toes a grey slate tint, nails darker. 
I had been too rough for us to get out to sea, and we had walked along the shore to Worthing and back from 
fehoreham. ° 
“October 24 1882. Wind south in the morning and towards the afternoon south-west. A terrible gale 
aI ntO flT if ''.™‘ 
hadcol t I l’ u', of the long stretch of brackish water that 
< ected w heie the soil had been taken out to make an embankment, to break the force of the ride on towards 
ancing, and two or three parties were seen along tlie course of the marsh-dyke in front of the village. The 
n s appeared worn out and tired by the eontinued buffeting of the storm, and were easily approached. Some 
o he Plovers were iiite^ixed with large flocks of Gulls, and were sheltering from the storm under the ridges 
BrWdf ™ the beach Many other sea-fowl were affected by the gale; I heard, after my return to 
i^hton when it was too late, that several Skuas had been riding out the storm on the smooth water on the 
fee side of the new pier. 
the iwdT 'nr’ 
Plover fl • Y ° 11 , of September, 1872, there were numbers of Curlew, Redshanks, and Grey 
P oveis flying over Yarmouth, calling loudly, and at daybreak on the 4th we met with several flocks on the 
Bieydon muds at low water. As the tide flowed they got on wing, and but a few scattered birds were seen 
