Dec. 7, 1912 
FOREST AND STREAM 
723 
The Green Plover. 
(Vanellus cristatus.) 
BY W. J. MURRAY. 
This European bird belongs to the family 
of “waders,” of which there is a great variety 
distributed almost over the whole world, more 
especially in the north and south temperate 
zones. In shape it is somewhat like a pigeon, 
but not quite so large. On the top of the head 
it has a crest consisting of a few shining black 
feathers which usually lie horizontally, but can 
assume an erect position when and as may be 
required. The breast is black. The sides of 
the neck and the lower portion of the body are 
white, and the upper parts are of a deep shining- 
green with a tinge of purple and copper shade. 
While this plover, which is perhaps best 
known as the "lapwing” (and locally as the 
“pee weet”) is to be found plentifully all over 
the British Isles, it seems to spend most of its 
time in Ireland, and at all seasons of the year. 
Here it affords excellent sport in autumn and 
winter to the fowler, as the supply of birds is 
usually very good, and the sportsman is always 
certain of securing a good bag during the sea¬ 
son, provided of course that his aim is not at 
fault. 
The green plover or lapwing is very highly 
prized for table purposes and justly so, as it is 
both gamy and delicate in flavor, and except in 
severe frost it is usually in excellent condition. 
The birds do not go to cover, but keep to 
the open marshy meadows and low-lying lands 
adjoining lakes, marshes, rivers and slob lands of 
shallow seas. Although they are very watch¬ 
ful and post sentries and send out scouts, they 
can be stalked successfully from behind rocks, 
reeds, bent grass, sand dunes, etc., and sometimes 
they fly low enough to come within range of 
an ordinary shotgun with No. 5 shot. They 
nearly always fly in large flocks and also feed 
together. Although they may wander singly over 
a large meadow while feeding, they muster again 
before leaving the ground. The food consists 
chiefly of small animals such as worms, grubs, 
insects, etc. During the feeding time they al¬ 
ways appear to be busily occupied in searching 
for food, and in doing so they show great fleet¬ 
ness and nimbleness of foot, as if their object 
were to get the task over and get out of danger 
at the earliest moment possible. 
In the breeding season the lapwing is a 
most interesting bird and shows not only remark¬ 
able affection for its young, but the greatest re¬ 
source and fox-like cunning in protecting them 
from all real or even supposed enemies. The 
nest consists merely of some withered grass ar¬ 
ranged in any little hollow on the surface of the 
ground, such as a cow track, and here the eggs, 
three or four, are laid, and are carefully and 
jealously guarded by the female, while the male 
hovers around in a state of continuous excite¬ 
ment, uttering shrill and wailing sounds like 
“ee-a-wee” and indulging in extraordinary evolu¬ 
tions on the wing. When any person enters the 
field in which the nest is situated, the cries of 
the lapwing become frantic, and the male bird 
flies about in all directions. Sometimes he al¬ 
most knocks one’s hat off, so closely does he 
approach the strange visitor. Then comes the 
remarkable piece of strategy for which the bird 
is noted. If the visitor walks in the direction 
of the nest, the. lapwing at first gets very much 
excited, but as the nest is approached, the whole 
excitement subsides and soon the cries are trans¬ 
ferred to another portion of the field where they 
are started with redoubled vigor, thus making 
believe that the nest is there in the hope that 
the visitor will be attracted to the place where 
the nest is not. This will-o’-the-wisp ruse is 
practiced regularly wherever there is suspicion 
of an enemy of any sort in the field. The eggs 
of the lapwing are somewhat smaller than those 
of a pigeon and are a sort of muddy green color 
with black and brown spots. These eggs are 
considered a great delicacy, and are very highly 
prized in England, and large quantities of them 
are sent to the London market, especially from 
Holland during the laying season (in the months 
of May and June.) The eggs are so delicate in 
flavor and so easily digested that they are spe¬ 
cially recommended for the use of invalids and 
those who suffer from deficient digestion. Un¬ 
fortunately, however, the price is prohibitive to 
all who cannot afford to indulge in luxuries, so 
that few are able to enjoy the coveted delicacy 
of “plover’s eggs” which appear to be more dif¬ 
ficult to procure than the birds themselves, which 
are generally moderate in price. 
How Much Does a Fish Shrink? 
So many have been the inquiries as to how 
much has been lost in weight of the “whopping” 
fish between the time he was pulled out of the 
water and put on the scale that we print a 
shrinkage table. This estimate table is based 
on opinions of those whose experience vouches 
for its comparative accuracy. If any reader has 
other views on the subject we should be glad 
to hear from him. We realize that no shrinkage 
table can be exact because fat fish naturally 
shrink faster than thin ones, while weather con¬ 
ditions, as well as conditions under which the 
catch is kept before reaching the weighing place, 
has much to do with the amount of weight lost. 
Those who have had experience in “fish shrink¬ 
age” are requested to send us their bits of in¬ 
formation. Table of fish shrinkage follows: 
Just Killed. Dead 6 Hours. Dead 12 Hours. 
lib. 15!4oz. 15oz. 
21 bs. lib. 141/ooz. lib. 14oz. 
31bs. 21bs. 13%oz. 21bs. 13oz. 
41bs. 31bs. 13 oz. 31bs. 12oz. 
51bs. 41bs. 12%oz. 41bs. lloz. 
61bs. 51bs. liy 2 oz. 51bs. lOoz. 
71bs. 61bs. 10%oz* 61bs. 9oz. 
81bs. 71bs. 10 oz. 71bs. 8oz. 
91bs. 81bs. 914oz. 81bs. 7oz. 
lOlbs. 91bs. 8%oz. 91bs. 6oz. 
lllbs. lOlbs. 7%oz. lOlbs. 5oz. 
121bs. lllbs. 7 oz. lllbs. 4oz. 
131bs. 121bs. 6%°z. 121bs. 3oz. 
141bs. 131bs. 5V 2 oz. 131bs. 2oz. 
151bs. 141bs. 4%oz. 141bs. loz. 
lGlbs. 151bs. 4 oz. 151bs. 
171bs. 161bs. 3140Z. 151bs. 15oz. 
181bs. 171bs. 2%oz. 161bs. 14oz. 
191 bs. 181bs. l%oz. 171bs. 13oz. 
201bs. 191bs. 181bs. 12oz. 
301bs. 281bs. 9%oz. 281bs. 2oz. 
401bs. 3Slbs. 2 oz. 371bs. 8oz. 
501bs. 471bs. HU/fcoz. 461bs. 14oz. 
Woman Catches Record Bass in 
Meramec River. 
What is said to be the largest bass ever 
caught in the Meramec River by a woman was 
landed by Mrs. John Weert, 1038 Grandview 
Place, St. Louis, at an outing resort near Cuba, 
Mo. 
The fish was hooked and landed by Mrs. 
Weert unaided and when weighed immediately 
after landing it scaled 6 pounds 3 ounces. After 
being packed and shipped to St. Louis it dried, 
weighing 5 pounds 9 ounces after its arrival 
there. 
Mrs. Weert used a combination of a brown 
hackle fly and a Hildebrand spinner. Being some¬ 
what of an amateur, she added a plain, everyday 
earthworm to make sure of tickling the pisca¬ 
torial fancy. 
Position of the Reel Handle. 
Portland, Me., Nov. 14 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Why do almost all of the writers on 
fly-fishing instruction advise the placing of the 
reel with the handle to the right? 
Wherein is the advantage of striking your 
fish, and then transferring the rod to the left 
hand (which in most men is the weaker) ? Why 
advise a procedure that entails a few instants 
of loss oi control? Why not eliminate the 
danger of losing your fish during the change of 
hands by placing the reel with handle to the 
left? 
A deer hunter does not advise cocking his 
gun with the left thumb and then shooting from 
the right shoulder. Neither does the football 
player make preparation with the left foot and 
then punt with his right. With a man stealing 
to second base, the catcher does not gauge his 
throw with the ball in his left hand and deliver 
it with the other. Neither is there any such 
change of. hand in the case of the croquet player, 
the tennis player, the lariat thrower, nor any 
other that I know of. Moccasin. 
Saved by Prompt Action. 
St. Augustine, Fla., Nov. 21 . — Editor Forest 
ami Stream: Inclosed find clipping which should 
have the widest possible circulation, and it shows 
what can be done by prompt action in cases of 
snake bite, and which, if carefully followed, 
would be the saving of numerous lives every 
year. De Witt Webb, Mayor. 
Tampa, Fla., Nov. 21. (Special).—Lee Mac- 
Donell, the wholesale grocer, was bitten by a rat¬ 
tlesnake while hunting some twelve miles south¬ 
east of the city to-day. His promptness in slash¬ 
ing his right leg at the point where the snake’s 
fangs entered and letting the poison exude with 
a copious flow of blood saved his life. The 
physicians say he will be well within a few days. 
With Leroy Cotter, Mr. MacDonnell went 
into the woods after quail. Their dog pointed 
a covey and Mr. MacDonell started through 
some palmettoes after the birds. He heard the 
snake's rattle and jumped, but not soon enough, 
and the reptile’s fangs entered his right calf. 
Mr. MacDonell quickly shot the snake. Mr. 
Cotter, who is a druggist, had a hypodermic 
needle and some antiseptic medicine, and he in¬ 
jected it immediately, then drove hurriedly back 
to the city, where Drs. Cook and Adamson 
dressed the wound. 
It is said that a boa constrictor is prepared 
to swallow anything he is unable to dodge. There 
is another member of the Boidce family who 
acts in exactly the opposite manner. He belongs 
to what is called the “loan-shark” variety. 
Forest and Stream aims to keep always 
before its readers a high, sane and cheerful 
ideal of American sportsmanship. 
