2 GREY PLOVER.
in nij direction. Turning mj head round suddenly I caught sight of the Grey Plover running towards the
nest within fifty yards of me. I lifted my gun and fired again, but was so nervuus that I missed her a second
time. 1 wu-> so vexed that I gut up and walked towards the Skua, which still remained in alula quo. 1 missed
a shot at it too, s|ieul some time in a vain search for its nest, and returned to my old quarters. In ten minutes
I saw the Grey Plover flying up. It wheeled round in my direction, coming almost within shut, and evidently
took slock of me, and satisfied itself that I was a harmless animal practising witii blank cartridge, having no
evil design upon its eggs. It alighted about fifty yards beyond the nest, and approached less timidly than
before. When it came within fifty yards of me I fired, this time with no. ti shot, and laid the poor bird upon its
back. As we returned to our boat Ilarvie-llrown found a fourth nest, and, after watching ns before, secured
the bird. We accidentally broke two of the eggs belonging to the third nest, but reached Aloxievka at
midnight with I'oiirlccn idciititicd tiny Plover's eggs. Two sittings were quite fresh, and made ns an excellent
omelette for breakfast the next morning. The other two were very slightly incubated." It is only on the mudflats
and the salt-water shingle-banks that this species is found, ami there are few, bat punt-gunners, who could
give an account of its habits. In all my wanderings I neTer met with one of these birds on Highland lochs,
Norfolk broads, or any inland water. Though a few scattered Hooks are occasionally seen in winter, it is, as a
rule, only in spring and autumn, while on their way to aud front their bivodiug-hauuts in the desolate regions
of the fur north, that the Grey Plovers pay flying visits to our shores.
Under the date of January 1st, lss-1 (wind south-west and moderate!, 1 unil it entered in my notes that,
while shouting in the punt oil' Shun hum, no mot with large tlocks of Curlew and Grey Plover, and buth species
remained for some weeks along the shingle-kinks between the coast-guard station ond Shoreham pier. Tho
waves rolling on the shore were generally too heavy to work the gunniug-put.t sufficiently close for n successful
shot, but ten or a dozen were now and then stopped, and once or twice over a score. The Plover I remarked
were very heavy at this season, so it was evident they fared sumptuously on some of the flats near at hand,
probably in Ihe harbour, when all was still and quiet at night.
1 Bud tho follow ing entries in my notes concerning this species when observed on the south coast along tho
shores of the Channel;—
" September 18th, 1SS2. Shot half n dozen young Grey Plovers at Shoreham, while flying along the coast,
the birds being in remarkably good condition and exceedingly heavy. Tho colouring of the upper mandibles
was dark horn, lower mandibles near the huso warm red flesh; legs and toes a grey slate tint, nails darker.
It hod been too rough for us to get out to sea, and we had walked along the shore to Worthing and back from
Shoreham."
"October 21, 1S8S. Wind south in the morning and towards tho afternoon south-west A terrible gale
with awful squalls of wind nnd rain in the early morning. Grey Plovers, in immense numbers, were found
about the Hats, in the harbour at Shoreham, and at different parts of the long stretch of brackish water that
had collected w here tho soil had lici'n taken out to make an embankment, to break the force of the tide on towards
Lancing, aud two or three parties were seen along the course of the ninrsh-djke in front of the village. The
birds appeared worn out and tired by the continued buffeting of tho stnrm, nnd wore easily approached. Somo
of the Plovers wen- intermixed with largo Hocks of Gulls, and were sheltering from the storm under the ridges
of the shingle-banks on the beach. Many other sea-fowl were affected by the gale; I heard, after my return to
Brighton, when it was too late, that several Skuas had been riding out the storm on the smooth water on tho
lee side of the new pier."
These birds ore often in aid at night hovering round over towns in squoBy weather, probably attracted by
tho lights. On the night of the 3td of September, 187% there were numbers of Curlew, Redshanks, and Grey
Plovers flying over Yarmouth, calling loudly, and at daybreak on the 1th we met with several Hocks on the
Breydou muds at low water. As the tide llowed they got on wing, and but a few scattered birds wero seen
GREY PLOVER. 8
during tho remainder of the day; I, however, fell i l with both Kentish ITov ,nd Temniinck's Stints,
succeeded in obtaining specimens of each species.
The first arrival of black-hroasted birds in full summer plumage is usually about the 10th or lSth of May.
I see by notes taken while shooting on Breydou, in the spring of ls71, that the earliest Grey Plovers wore
observed that soasoa on the 12lh, and several with other waders and n handsome Curlew Sandpiper were shot
during Ihe course of the day. T'h so birds continued to arrive on the flats daily for nearly a fortnight, large
numbers being seen on three or four occasions.
On the 21th of May, 1871, there were sev
the Mats ai lbvydon, and I obtained as many s
and fur the future refrained from molesting th
guns at Har-lailed Godwits, Curlew Saudpipi
species in their full summer dress, also kept
considerable time on the water that we had a c
My notes contain the following remarks
breakfasts, and having been over ten hours a
the slight flavour of mud that some of our jo
the unclean and close quarters in the bows
just as we were on the point of commencing to
•rul flocks of Grey Plovers gathered together here and there on
iccimens in perfect plumage as were required fur my collection,
m in that state. Repeated shots with both punt- and shoulder'
s, and Little Stints, which .scoured several specimens of each
is so continually occupied, that it was not till we had been a
anec to partake of any refreshments.
on the subject:—" Ahottt mid-day we were able to get our
work on the water, we were not inclined to find fault with
its and other eatables had contracted by being slowed away in
f our boats three or four times on the appearance of birds,
iatisfy our hunger."