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Birds. 
THE GREY PLOVER, (Squatarola cinerea,) 
Is about twelve inches long and twenty-four across the 
wings : the head, back, and coverts of the wings are 
black, with tips of a greenish white ; the chin white : 
the throat spotted with brown or dusky spots ; the breast 
and thighs white. The flavour of the flesh, when the 
bird is caught in the proper season, is delicate and 
savory ; at other times it is hard, and has a strong and 
rank taste. This bird is generally found in small packs, 
and is not nearly so common as the beautiful Golden 
Plover. The male becomes entirely black on the lower 
surface in the spring, or black interspersed with patches 
and spots of white. 
The Grey Plover is found in the northern parts 
of Europe, and, it is said, breeds in Egypt, Java, and 
Japan. Like the Ruff, it is an exceedingly quarrelsome 
bird, and fights fiercely in the spring. The young, 
when hatched, are covered with a thick, soft down, and 
immediately begin to follow their parents about and 
search for food. 
