CHAPTER X. 
THE GOLDEN PLOVER 
(Charadrius auratus), 
“. ancl round and round 
The Plovers wheel, and give their note of joy.” 
Southey. 
Next to the Bustards come the Plover group, because, 
in a diminutive form, they resemble them in a great 
degree in shape and make. The Golden Plover is one of 
the most beautiful of this family: it is a handsome bird, 
not exactly rare, inhabiting the northern portion of our 
native land, and is about the size of a Missel Thrush or 
a Turtle Dove, measuring from ten to eleven inches in 
length, and from twenty-three to twenty-four inches 
across the wings; its plumage is tasteful and gay: on 
the back it is of a greenish yellow, thickly speckled with 
golden spots; the head and neck are somewhat lighter, 
and the spots still more beautiful, that is to say, of a 
pure gold-colour; the sides of the head, the throat, and 
breast, are of a deep black, while the bands across the 
forehead and eyes are white; the beak, legs, and three 
toes, are black: such is the plumage of the adult bird. 
The young birds are distinguished from the old ones by 
being of a lighter colour underneath, and by the numerous 
golden-green specks which cover the neck and breast. 
