KILDEER PLOVER. 
3 66 
bird, measuring more than an inch and a half in length, and a 
full inch in width, tapering to a narrow point at the great 
end. 
Nothing can exceed the alarm and anxiety of these birds 
during the breeding season. Their cries of kildeer , kildeer , 
as they winnow the air over head, dive and course around 
you, or run along the ground counterfeiting lameness, are 
shrill and incessant. The moment they see a person approach, 
they fly or run to attack him with their harassing clamour, 
continuing it over so wide an extent of ground, that they 
puzzle the pursuer as to the particular spot where the nest or 
young are concealed ,* very much resembling, in this respect, 
the Lapwing of Europe. During the evening, and long after 
dusk, particularly in moonlight, their cries are frequently 
heard with equal violence, both in the spring and fall. From 
this circumstance, and their flying about both after dusk and 
before dawn, it appears probable that they see better at such 
times than most of their tribe. They are known to feed much 
on worms, and many of these rise to the surface during the 
night. The prowling of Owls may also alarm their fears for 
their young at those hours ; but, whatever may be the cause, 
the facts are so. 
The Kildeer is more abundant in the southern states in 
winter than in summer. Among the rice fields, and even 
around the planters’ yards, in South Carolina, I observed 
them very numerous in the months of February and March. 
There the negro boys frequently practise the barbarous mode 
of catching them with a line, at the extremity of which is a 
crooked pin, with a worm on it. Their flight is something 
like that of the Tern, but more vigorous ; and they some- 
times rise to a great height in the air. They are fond of 
vrading in pools of water, and frequently bathe themselves 
during the summer. They usually stand erect on their legs, 
and run or walk with the body in a stiff horizontal position ; 
they run with great swiftness, and are also strong and vigorous 
in the wings. Their flesh is eaten by some, but is not in 
