In this country this species is only a migrant, and in September leaves the hill-tops, and passing through the lower lying counties of England wings its way to other climes.
The sexes are alike and are sandy brown on the back, with longitudinal fulvous markings; there is a white stripe over the eye. Chin white; breast ash brown, bordered with a narrow white transverse band; lower breast chestnut; belly black. In winter the under parts are pale ash brown. The young have rufous edgings to the feathers of the back, but otherwise resemble their parents in winter dress. Length 9 in.; wing 6 in.
THE CASPIAN PLOVER
Ægialitis asiatica (Pallas)
Two examples of this eastern Plover, which inhabits the Caspian and Aral Sea region, were obtained near Yarmouth in May 1890.
It is not unlike our Common Ringed Plover, but lacks all the black markings on the head, and the band across the breast is bright chestnut, edged along its posterior margin with black. Length 7·5 in.; wing 5·6 in.
RINGED PLOVER
Ægialitis hiaticola (Linnæus)
Few people can have walked along our shores without having their attention attracted by the plaintive whistle of this delightful little bird. It will suddenly be seen flying past, the dark ring showing up in contrast to its white breast, while as it gets farther away a light line across the outspread wing will also help to distinguish it. When it settles, especially if among stones and shingle, we shall have hard work to see it, while the oft-repeated note, sounding first on one side and then on the other, and coming apparently from the dark stones themselves, tends to bewilder us. There is no month in the year when we cannot find this bird on our shores whatever be the weather—amidst a howling winter’s gale and driving sleet, or under the blazing summer’s sun, when we can see the heated air vibrating over the burning stones, he is still there, apparently absolutely unmoved by the all-powerful forces of nature. But the time to see him at his best is in May; we are walking along when suddenly his well-known note strikes our ears, and we see him running along in front of us; we sit down to watch him and he in his turn will suddenly stop, and then running to some stone slightly higher than its neighbours, stand up and watch us. His mate soon joins him and together they stand, now running a few yards and then turning round give us another look, while they bob their heads up and down at the same time with a motion so characteristic of the Plovers. Finally, seeing that we do not go away they both get up and, calling out as they do so, fly off; but in a minute or so one of them is back again, sitting and watching us from his old stand. They have evidently a nest somewhere near, and equally, evidently, the hen has evaded our vigilance and is closely sitting on her treasures. Disappointed we rise to go, and on our doing so the hen rises apparently from the ground within six feet of us and runs away.
One step, and there on the bare stones are four pear-shaped eggs lying close packed, with their narrow ends to the centre, and practically indistinguishable from the shingle on which they lie. In colour they are pale clay, uniformly covered with black spots and mottlings. As soon as the birds see that their treasure is discovered they fly round us, calling out continually till we pass on, leaving the hen to resume her duties. The young are covered with thick down when hatched, and are brown, mottled with black on the back; below white, with a black ring round the chest. They leave the nest as soon as they are hatched, and very shortly begin to feed themselves on the various spiders, flies, and other small insects that abound in such places. Both parents carefully watch and tend them, flying up on the approach of danger, while the young squat closely on the ground, where they become almost invisible. Their wings grow when at the age of five weeks, by which time they are nearly as large as their parents, and are then well able to take care of themselves and wander away to join the flocks of their own kind, or to amalgamate with other passing wanderers, and add their cries to swell the sounds of the shore, which are such a delight to every naturalist.
The sexes are alike in plumage. General colour above pale sandy brown; below white. Forehead white, succeeded by a black band; lores and band across chest black. Legs bright yellow; beak black, yellow at its base.
The young resemble the adults, but lack the black band on the forehead; the chest band is brown concolorous with the upper parts. The legs olive green.