the Kentish Plover common on the shores of the Bay of
Cadiz in February, and later in the year observed it in
small parties on both banks of the Guadalquivir as far
up as to within a few miles below Seville. These birds
are extraordinarily tame and fearless of man, and will
run about and feed unconcernedly within a few feet of a
boat full of people. If a flock is fired at, many of the
survivors will very soon return to the spot from which
they were startled by the shot. In general habits this
species resembles the Ringed Plover, but appears to be
more exclusively addicted to shingle and hard sands
than that bird ; I seldom met with it upon the soft tidal
mud. The eggs average three in number, and may be
readily distinguished from those of the Ringed Plover
by the deeper yellowish tinge of their ground-colour and
the irregular and ‘ scratchy ’ character of their markings.”
The usual complement of eggs is three in my
experience, but Mr. H. Saunders has more than once
found four.
The Kentish Plover breeds in small numbers in
certain localities in England, but has suffered greatly
from the greed of collectors of British birds and eggs.
This bird has a wide range, as it is met with at various
seasons from the Tagus to the coasts of China and
Japan, and from the shores of the Baltic to Ceylon and
the Cape Colony.
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