. Cassell's natural history . the approach of an intruder, the female invariably runs tosome distance from her nest before she takes wing, a manoeuvre tending to conceal itstrue situation; and the discovery of it is rendered still more difficult by the colour andmarkings of the eggs, assimilating so closely to that of the ground and surroundingherbage. The usual call of the plover is a plaintive nionotonous whistle, by imitatingwhich it may frequently be enticed within a very short distance. In the breedingseason a more varied call is used, during which it flics at a groat elevation, and conti
. Cassell's natural history . the approach of an intruder, the female invariably runs tosome distance from her nest before she takes wing, a manoeuvre tending to conceal itstrue situation; and the discovery of it is rendered still more difficult by the colour andmarkings of the eggs, assimilating so closely to that of the ground and surroundingherbage. The usual call of the plover is a plaintive nionotonous whistle, by imitatingwhich it may frequently be enticed within a very short distance. In the breedingseason a more varied call is used, during which it flics at a groat elevation, and continuessoaring round for a considerable time. To the whistling of the plover our poet Thomsonelegantly alludes in his opening lines on Spring, while yet the trembling year isunconfirmed, so that scarce the bittern knows his time to shake iho marsh, • Or from the plovers when to scatter oer the sing their wild notes to the listening waste. Cbaradrins Plnvinlis.—Peiin. %1 ^ ■ # i\ \riiliiM ;|, ?il ^»^. THE PLOVER.* To adopt a part of the interesting description of Gilbert White : It must be matterof great curiosity to see the Stilt Plover move ; to see how it can wield such a length oflever with such feeble muscles as the thighs seem to be furnished with. At least, oneshould expect it to be but a bad walker ; but what adds to the wonder is, that it has noback toe. Now without that steady prop to support its steps, it must be liable, in specu-lation, to perpetual vacillations, and seldom able to preserve the true centre of old name oi mmantopus is taken from Pliny, and, by an awkward metaphor, impliesthat the legs are as slender and pliant as if cut out of a thong of leather. Mr. Gould states that this genus, although widely distributed, contains only two weU-authenticated species, one of which has furnished our illustration, and the other is knownin North America. * Charadrius Himantopus.—Penn. 506 iHK rEATHERED TKIHES. A large and
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1854
