flesh of the Lapwing; on the contrary, they are esteemed especial delicacies, and are brought in great numbers to the London market, being known under the appellation of" Plover's eggs. The principal supply is from the open downs and warrens of Norfolk, and the fens of Lincolnshire and Cambridge.

No bird can exhibit more instinctive artifice than the Lapwing in the protection of its young, or more solicitude for their safety. Should man or dog approach the nest, the parent birds sweep close around the intruder, flutter, as if with broken wings, along the ground before him, now take wing, keeping so near as to make it seem easy to catch them; now wheel round, now dart forwards, uttering incessantly their mournful cry of peweet, peweet, till at length, having decoyed the intruder to a distance, up they mount, and leave him gazing in disappointment. As soon as the breeding season is over, both old and young, in large flocks gradually pass from the interior of the country towards the coast, where they spread themselves over low swampy meadows and heaths, in search of food.

The beauty of the Lapwing, and its utility in the destruction of worms, are qualities which induce many to render it a prisoner within the bounds of a garden; but when thus domesticated, it requires to be fed in winter, as its natural supply of food fails, and it is prevented from shifting its quarters to other places. Latham states that its mode of capturing worms is, "first by turning aside the worm-cast, and then treading round the hole in a circular manner," so as to give a slight motion to the ground, which drives the worm from its retreat, when it is instantly seized and swallowed.

The contrasted black and white in the plumage of this bird at once distinguish it, so that it cannot be mistaken, even on the wing. The head is black, glossed with green, and an elegant crest of long slender black feathers, turned slightly upwards, arises from the occiput. The throat is black; the sides of the head and neck are white; the back and wing-coverts are greenish black, with purple and blue reflexions; the chest and

under parts are white; the upper tail-coverts are pale chestnut; the tail is white at the base, and black the rest of its length, except at the tip, which is white. Length thirteen inches.

The name of the Lapwing occurs in Leviticus, among animals prohibited as food. See chap. ii. 19.

One of the most singular examples of the present family, and which appears to connect the restricted genus Charadrius to certain groups of the family Scolopacida, is the STILT-BIRD, or Long-legged Plover, placed by Brisson in a genus termed Himantopus, of which the

characters chiefly consist in the bill being long, slender, straight, and depressed at the base; the tarsi of extreme

length, and slender; the toes, three before, united by a partial web at their base, which runs up the side of each toe, almost to its point; wings long and pointed.

Two species of this genus are all that are known, and of these the present (Himantopus melanopterus,) is the only European example. In England it is of rare accidental occurrence. In Germany and the south of France it is met with, but only as a bird of passage. Its native regions are Hungary, the eastern parts of Russia, and the adjacent districts of Asia, where the borders of inland seas and vast saline lakes afford it a congenial home. It is also to be met with in Egypt, and other parts of the African continent. Temminck states that "it breeds in the saline morasses of Hungary and Russia, and that its food consists of young frogs, larvæ, aquatic insects, &c."

The very air of this bird, elevated on its long slender stilts, proclaims at once its nature; we see that it is a wader, well endowed for stalking through the marshes which spread around, or for coasting along lakes and inland seas. Should it, however, (for it is light and buoyant,) be carried off its footing by the waves, it is in no danger, for it swims with considerable dexterity, and soon regains its footing on the shore. Its flight is astonishingly rapid; but when running, or standing on the ground, its limbs appear tottering and unsteady. The general plumage of the upper surface is black; the head, neck, and under parts are white. The other species is American, and is well described by Wilson in his " American Ornithology."

Among a vast number of examples, it may be noticed that to the present family belong the OYSTER-CATcher, (Hæmatopus ostralegus,) so common on our low flat coasts, where it feeds on shell-fish, such as muscles, limpets, &c., and small crabs, and crustacea generally. The GREY PLOVER, (Squatarola cinerea.) The TURNSTONE, (Strepsilas interpres,) a bird found in every quarter of the globe, frequenting the rocky or gravelly shores of the ocean, where it searches for marine insects and small crustacea, by turning over the stones with its

strong wedge-shaped bill. The LITTLE SANDErling, (Arenaria calidris,) a native of the sandy shores of the polar ocean, whence in winter it proceeds southwards, visiting our islands; and the PRATINCOLE, (Glareola torquata.) The Pratincole is too rare and remarkable a bird, however, to be passed over without a short notice. In the general form of its body, and in the power and manner of its flight, it is a swallow, and it feeds on insects, which it takes generally on the wing; sometimes, however, on the ground, by catching them as it runs along, which it does very nimbly; for, unlike the swallow in this respect, it is furnished with limbs long and slender, the toes being formed for walking, not for grasping or clinging.

Linnæus, however, led by its similitude to the swallows, placed the Pratincole among them, mistaking similitude for affinity. Three species of Pratincole are all that are known; they form the genus Glareola, thus characterized bill hard, swollen at the base, convex, curved, and compressed towards the point; the gape wide; the nostrils basal; legs rather long and slender; toes, three before and one behind; wings very long and pointed; tail forked.

The only species ever occurring in western Europe, and then only as a bird of passage, is the COLLARED PRATINCOLE, (Glareola torquata.) This elegant bird inhabits the borders of lakes and rivers, but especially the wide waste of morasses, which lie on the eastern borders of Europe, and the adjacent districts of Asia. It is common about the saline lakes and marshes of Hungary, where, says Temminck, in the marshy confines of Lakes Neusidel and Balaton I saw hundreds flying around me. They feed upon flies and winged insects, which live among reeds and aquatic herbage, darting upon them with astonishing velocity, and seizing them either on the wing or while running. In flight, the Pratincole is even more rapid than any of the swallows, so that it is enabled to perform long migrations with the greatest ease. seen in Germany, France, and Italy; but very rarely in

Hence is it

Holland, or the British isles. In Tartary, and over central Asia, it is common wherever the localities are favourable to its residence. Its nest is placed among rushes or

thick tufts of herbage; but little is known respecting its eggs as regards either colour or number. The general colour of the Collared Pratincole is brownish gray above; the throat is white, with a tinge of reddish, banded by a narrow line of black; the breast is dull brownish gray; the under surface dirty white; the upper tail-coverts are pure white; the tail is forked, and brownish black; the under wing-coverts are chestnut. Length nine inches. Of the two other species, which are smaller than the present, one is a native of Bengal and the southern parts of India, the other of New Holland.