. Egyptian birds : for the most part seen in the Nile Valley . hen spring-time comes. Thisis the bird that supplies gourmands with theirannual dainty of Plovers eggs ; it lays four inthe simplest of nests—a mere slight depression inthe ground—and as soon as the young are hatched,within a few hours of actual birth into the outerworld, they are running about nimbly on their ownlittle legs, and, at the instigation of their fondparents, catching flies and insects with their ownlittle bills. In this matter of the helplessness, orreverse, of newly-hatched birds, is a most interest-ing field for rese
. Egyptian birds : for the most part seen in the Nile Valley . hen spring-time comes. Thisis the bird that supplies gourmands with theirannual dainty of Plovers eggs ; it lays four inthe simplest of nests—a mere slight depression inthe ground—and as soon as the young are hatched,within a few hours of actual birth into the outerworld, they are running about nimbly on their ownlittle legs, and, at the instigation of their fondparents, catching flies and insects with their ownlittle bills. In this matter of the helplessness, orreverse, of newly-hatched birds, is a most interest-ing field for research. The proud eagles young are,for a long time, as helpless as our own babies, and,it is alleged, have sometimes to be forcibly pushedout of the home; whilst, as we have seen, Ploversyoung are born almost self-supporting. And thisprecocity, as it seems, is also seen in young ducklings,and in all the so-called game-birds : all they askfor is their mothers wings to protect them againstthe weather, and warmly shelter them at night. GREEN PLOVER OR LAPWING. f ^T SPUR-WINGED PLOVER Hoplopterus spinosus Arabic, Zic-zac Crown, nape, chin, centre of throat, breast, and tail black ;white cheeks, white under and above tail, back and sides ofwings a grey-brown, a sharp hard spuron point of shoulder, bill,feet and legs black, eyes rich crimson. Entire length, 12 ins. Whether this or the Black-headed Plover is tohave the honour of being the bird Herodotus hasmade famous will probably ever be a matter for theSchoolmen to argue over, but lately I came acrossDr. Leith Adams note, explaining the reason whyhe insists that the Spur-winged Plover is the realfriend of the crocodile and not the Black-headed,— Codling not Short. * The crocodile, tired ofkeeping its jaws wide open, just shuts them, to theeverlasting peril of the bird ; were it not for thosetwo sharp spurs on his wings he of course would besuffocated and later doubtless swallowed, but bythese spurs, when the roof comes down
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