THE LAPWINGS. 
173 
Nest —Generally placed in a natural hole or depression, 
suS as the footprint of a horse or cow, but some ones a 
tussock of grass may be selected. Of actual nest there is 
scarcely any^ but a slight lining of grass or heather is some- 
times made. . 
Eggs.— Usually four, but on very rare occasions five have 
been found. Mr. Seebohm gives one instance of a clutch o 
five havS been obtained by the Rev. H. A. Maepherson 
Se, as w'ill be seen below Mr. Robert Read r^^ 
occurrence. The latter gentleman writes . Althougli tne eg^s 
of this bird are taken in such enormous numbers I h^ve nevei 
Hnt once known five eggs to be taken in one nest, ims vas 
hi Nor^^humberland. I have found the Peewit breeding quite 
close to London, at Ealing. Near Glasgow I obtained a set of 
three eggs with the heavy markings at the small end, an unusua 
variety this bird’s eggs. In 
have TOunted about 8,000 Peesweeps in one field. The ground- 
colour of the Lapwing’s egg vanes extremely, from dusky-olive 
or greenish-brown to dark clay-colour or clay-brown, with black 
blotches and smaller spots distributed over the egg, the larger 
blotches congregating near the larger end. The underlying 
spots are of a dark purplish-grey. Axis, ryS-^'Q mch; diam,, 
i-25-i'35- 
THE CRESTLESS LAPWINGS. GENUS CII7ETUSIA. 
Chcetusia, Bp. Iconogr. Faun. Ital. Ucc. Introd. p. i? (1841)- 
Type, e.gregaria (Pall.). 
This genus, of which only one species is known, is in every 
respectf true Lapwing, but differs from the genus Vanellus in 
having no crest. 
1. THE SOCIABLE LAPWING. CH^TUSIA GREGARIA. 
Charadrius gregariiis, Pall. Reis. Russ. Reichs, 1. p- 45 ^ 
ChemVfgrcgaria, Dresser, B. Eur. vii. p. 527. Pj; (1875); 
Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiv. p. 174 (1896). 
Vanellus gregarius^ Saunders, Man. Bnt. B. p. 537 9 )* 
Adult Male.— General colour above pale ashy-brown, the centre 
of the lower back rather darker ; sides of the lower back, lm\cr 
