CHARADRIUS PLUVIALIS , Linn.
Golden Ploi rer.
Charadrius pluvialis (winter) et apricarius (summer), Linn. Syst. Nat., tom. i. p. 254.
Pluvialis apricarius, Bonap. Còmpt. Rend, de l’Acad. des Sci., tonä| xliii. (1856) p. 34.
■— P S laurea minor, Briss. Orn., tom. y. p. 47.
■-------— ----- , Macgill. Hist. Brit. Birds, vol. ii. p. 94.
— auratus, Suckow, Naturg. der Thiere, tom. ii. p. 1592.
In commencing the history o f the Golden Plover, shall I speak o f it in an Epicurean sense, as being one of
our best birds for the table, and as playing a p art in commerce equal to that o f the Snipe and the
Woodcock ? shall I approach the subject w it^ a n S c o u n t o f its habits and economy during the months of
winter, when bjjassembles in flocks, and runsSbver our fallow fields and barren heaths ? or shall I speak of
it in the mountain-home where it spends the summer among flowery ling and heather-bells, where it sends
forth its pipe to the antlered monarch, trips beside the blue haré, or tilts with the Grouse that may
approach too near its nesting-place ? At this period its vesture of black is beautifully relieved by streaks
o f white and spangles o f yellow, and the bird is in its greatest beauty!; Few persons are aware that the
. Golden Plover undergoes a seasonal transformation! I.innæns and mabyofthe older puthors consifered that
these very distinct plumages were indications o f spefific “distinctness ; but it is my place to depict the
remarkable differences which occur in the summer and winter liveries o f some o f dur native birds; and the
present is one o f them.
I believe the opinion is entertained th at^ p u rity o f colour and richness o f markings depend in a
great measure upon elevation, the clearness o f the atmosphere and thé non-obstruction of the rays o f light;
whether this be correct or not, I have always found that the greater the elevation a bird frequents, be it a
Ptarmigan or a Plover, the richer are the tints o f its plumage in summer, and the greater the contrast of
its winter dress. These features, too, are still more apparent among continental than island examples ; thus
the Ptarmigan and Golden Plovers o f Norway are far finer, and undergo a more complete change in
summer and winter, than those o f Scotland or Ireland. The like is the case with other birds, of which
I could cite numerous instances, were it necessary. I enter into these little digressions, because I believe
they aré not without their interest, and for the sake o f variety ; for the habits of our native birds have been
so repeatedly ánd so ably described, that the subject is well-nigh exhausted.
About the fall of the leaf, or when autumn presages the coming winter, the Golden Plovers, both adults
and young, leave the misty mountain-side, and, assembling’in flocks, visit every portion o f the central and
southern districts o f England, from the Cheviots to, Cornwáll. It may now be seen in all the open
moorlands, fallow fields, commons, and great marshes, such as those which occur in Lincolnshire, Norfolk,
and Sufiolk, on the sandhills near the sea-shore. and the muddy flats left by the receding tide. Its great
powers of flight enable it to pass over vast distances with such rapidity that, while at one moment it may be
seen on the sea-shore, in half an hour’s time it is miles away on some upland waste. The bird has now put on
its w inter livery, is very fat and in fine condition for the table, but continues to improve in this respect from the
commencement o f the autumn frosts until the ensuing February, when an entire change in its disposition occurs.
“ Coming events cast their shadows before the return of the sun induces it to remove to o ther localities, and
to prepare for the performance, o f a more important duty—that o f breeding. The assumption of the
summer dress now commences with the appearance o f black feathers on its previously white breast and
throat, both sexes being under the same influence. By the end of April o r the beginning o f May most o f
the Golden Plovers have left the lowlands, some resorting to the Cheviots, others to the Grampians, the wilds
o f Sutherlandshire, and as far north as favourable situations occur, some even proceeding to Iceland. In
Ireland the habits of the bird are precisely the same as in our own island, inasmuch as it spends the summer
among the hills, and the autumn and winter on the lowlands and the sea-shore. Mr. Alfred Newton affirms
that the bird certainly breeds in Yorkshire, and probably in Derbyshire also. Macgillivray has given so
graphic a description o f the habits o f the Golden Plover, as witnessed by him in the summer, that I shall not
hesitate to transcribe it here. “ Amid the wild scenery o f the rugged hills and sedgy valleys, the mellow
notes o f the Plover come gently and soothingly on the ear, and you feel, without being altogether conscious of
its power, th at it soothes the troubled mind as water cools the burning brow. As you listen to it, now distant,
now nearer, and see the birds, with short flights, approaching as if to greet you, though in reality with more
fear than confidence, with anxiety and apprehension, the bright sunshine that glances on their jetty breasts
is faintly obscured by the white vapours that have crept up from the valley, and presently all around us is