friendship between this species and the crocodile:--"All other beasts
and birds," says that old Greek writer, "avoid the crocodile, but he is
at peace with the Trochilus, because he receives benefits from it, for
when the crocodile gets out of the water and then opens his jaws, which
he does most commonly towards the west, the Trochilus enters his mouth
and swallows the leeches which cling to his teeth. The huge beast is so
pleased with this service that he never injures the little bird." This
well-known account is still current in Egypt, with the addition of another
tale traditional among the Nile boatmen concerning this bird, which they
call the Zic-zac, in imitation of its call. The crocodile, they say,
while reposing on a sandbank, often falls asleep, quite forgetful of
his bird friend, who is busy within his large mouth clearing his teeth
from their troublesome leech appendages. The Zic-zac, finding the huge
door closely shut upon him, gives the crocodile a sharp reminder of
his presence by striking his spurs into the mouth of the monster, who
immediately sets the prisoner free. The _Hyas Ægyptiacus_ is met with
throughout all the country watered by the Nile, and on the shores of
all the rivers of Western Africa. It is very doubtful whether any stray
specimens have really visited Europe as has been stated; this species,
according to our own observations, being strictly stationary in its
habits, and only quitting one sandbank for another when compelled to do
so by the rising of the water. In all its movements this brisk and pretty
little bird displays great ease and rapidity. During the course of its
flight, which is never long sustained, it keeps close to the surface of
the river, and frequently repeats its shrill whistling cry. Towards every
living creature the Trochilus manifests the same utter fearlessness which
he exhibits towards his neighbour the crocodile, over and around whose
large body he constantly disports himself on the sandbanks, and gleans
off the insect parasites that torment him. We can distinctly affirm that
we have ourselves repeatedly _seen_ the little creature performing the
tooth-clearing operation the ancients attributed to it, and which many
modern writers have declared to be fabulous. Insects of all kinds, worms,
small fish, mussels, and, according to some authorities, scraps of meat,
and occasionally seeds, form the principal diet of the Crocodile-Watcher.
Only once, in spite of all our endeavours, could we discover the
carefully-concealed eggs. After many fruitless efforts our attention was
attracted whilst looking through a telescope by a pair of birds, one of
which was sitting in the sand, and the other running hither and thither in
the immediate vicinity. Using every precaution we approached, but were no
sooner observed than the brooding parent arose, and after going hurriedly
to a short distance, joined its mate, and both together walked slowly
from the spot with such a wonderful affectation of indifference, that we
were completely taken in, and should not have carried our investigations
any further had not a slight unevenness of the ground caught our eye. On
removing the sand, two beautiful eggs were brought to light, having a
reddish yellow shell, dotted and marked in a variety of ways.
[Illustration: THE COLLARED PRATINCOLE (_Glareola pratincola_).]
* * * * *
The PRATINCOLES, or SWALLOW-WINGED WADERS (_Tracheliæ_), are recognisable
at once by the swallow-like formation of their long wings, in which the
first quill exceeds the rest in length; by their long, straight, or forked
tail composed of fourteen feathers, and their slender bare legs. The
toes, four in number, are very slender, the three in front are connected
by a skin, and furnished with narrow, sharp, and almost straight claws.
The plumage, which varies but little either in the sexes or at different
seasons of the year, is very similar in all the species.
The Pratincoles, or Sea Partridges as they are called on the Continent,
inhabit the temperate and warm portions of the eastern hemisphere, and
frequent the borders of lakes and rivers in the vicinity of mountains.
Like the Swallow, they seek their insect prey whilst upon the wing, or
from the surface of the ground, over which they run with great rapidity.
The eggs, three or four in number, are deposited in a slight nest placed
among rushes or thick marshy herbage.
[Illustration: THE COMMON THICK-KNEE, OR STONE CURLEW (_Œdicnemus
crepitans_).]
THE COLLARED PRATINCOLE.
The COLLARED PRATINCOLE (_Glareola pratincola_) is a beautiful bird,
about ten inches long and twenty-two inches and a half broad, with the
wing measuring seven inches, and the tail, at the centre of the fork,
two inches and a half. The upper portions of the body are greyish brown,
the wings, lower breast, and under side white; the reddish yellow
throat is encircled by a brown ring, and the head is brownish grey; the
tail-feathers and quills are tipped with black. The eye is dark brown, the
beak black, with bright red corners, and the foot blackish brown. The male
and female are almost alike in size. This bird inhabits Northern Africa,
and the countries watered by the Don, the Volga, and the Caspian and Black
Seas; and although it periodically visits France, is rarely seen in Great
Britain. Everywhere it occupies the margins of rivers and lakes, equally
frequenting the vicinity of fresh and salt water. The Collared Pratincole
flies with great ease and swiftness, and indulges in a variety of graceful
evolutions whilst on the wing; upon the ground its walk, though rapid, is
seldom prolonged, and every step is accompanied by a constant whipping
with the tail. Its food consists principally of aquatic insects, but it
seizes its prey with equal facility on land, from the surface of the water
or in the air; indeed, it is not uncommon to see one of these active
little birds dart to a height of several feet into the air, in order to
seize a passing fly. It consumes locusts in great numbers, and, according
to Jules Verreaux, is often to be found in the track of the hosts of
these creatures that are met with in Southern Africa. The nest consists
of a slight hollow in the ground, lined with fibres and blades of grass;
the eggs, four in number, have a yellowish brown or greenish grey shell,
spotted with grey, and variously marked with light brown and deep black.
So great is the attachment of these Pratincoles for their mates and young
that we are told, should one of a pair be shot, the other at once runs to
its companion's side in utter disregard of its own safety. If the little
family are intruded on, the parents frequently feign to be wounded, or
by other devices entice the enemy from the nest. The helpless young, if
alarmed, crouch to the ground, and are with difficulty detected, owing to
the earthy colour of their downy feathers; they grow very rapidly, and
soon attain the plumage of the adult birds.
* * * * *
The THICK-KNEES (_Œdicnemi_) constitute a sub-family whose members are
at once recognisable by their comparatively large size, moderately long
thin neck, thick head, large eyes, and a straight beak of about the same
length as the head, with the culmen slightly depressed and swollen at the
tip. The knees are very thick, the toes three in number, and the wings,
in which the second quill is the longest, of moderate size; the secondary
quills are of unusual length. The tail is wedge-shaped, and composed of
from twelve to fourteen feathers. These birds are migratory, and are met
with in all parts of the world, with the exception of North America; open
moorlands are the localities they prefer, as affording them the largest
supply of the small quadrupeds, reptiles, worms, and insects upon which
they subsist, and which they seek during the evening or at night. In the
daytime the Thick-knees remain closely squatted beneath a stone or any
similar shelter, and if disturbed fly to a short distance, before running
off rapidly to some place of concealment. The female deposits her two eggs
on the bare ground; the young are able to follow their parents as soon as
they quit the shell.
THE COMMON THICK-KNEE, OR STONE CURLEW.
The COMMON THICK-KNEE, or STONE CURLEW (_Œdicnemus crepitans_), is from
sixteen to seventeen inches long and from twenty-nine to thirty broad; the
wing measures eight inches and half, and the tail about five inches. The
feathers upon the upper parts of the body are reddish grey, striped in the
centre with blackish brown; the brow, a patch over the eyes and a line
above and below the cere are white, the under side and a stripe on the
upper wing are yellowish white, the quills black, and the tail-feathers
bordered with black and white at their sides. The eye is golden yellow,
the beak yellow with black tip, the foot straw-colour, and the eyelids
yellow. The plumage of the young is principally of a rust-red. These birds
are natives of the desert and barren districts of Northern Africa, Western
Asia, and Southern Europe, being especially numerous in Syria, Persia,
Arabia, and India. Such as occupy the most northern portions of their
_habitat_ go south late in the autumn and return to their former haunts
early in spring, whilst such as dwell in the countries watered by the
Mediterranean remain throughout the entire year in the same localities.
In Egypt, notwithstanding their usual preference for barren tracts, the
Stone Curlews not only venture into towns and perch upon houses, but
occasionally make their nests on the roofs, always provided that the
situation be such as to permit them to have a clear space about them, and
an elevated perch from whence they can reconnoitre in order to elude the
approach of danger. A nearly-allied species, residing in South Africa,
frequents the outskirts of forests, selecting spots thickly covered with
brushwood, in which it conceals itself if alarmed. The Common Thick-knee
or Norfolk Plover, as it is called in England, is only a summer visitor
to our country, appearing in April and departing in September or October.
It is most numerous in the south and south-west parts of our island, and
does not go north of Yorkshire. Ireland it rarely visits. According to Mr.
Salmon, of Thetford, "it is numerously distributed all over our warren
and fallow lands during the breeding season, which commences about the
second week in April, the female depositing her pair of eggs upon the
bare ground, without any nest whatever; it is generally supposed that the
males take no part in the labour of incubation; this I suspect is not the
case. Wishing to procure for a friend a few specimens in their breeding
plumage, I employed a boy to take them for me, this he did by ensnaring
them on the nest, and the result was that all he caught during the day
proved upon dissection to be males. They assemble in flocks previous to
their departure, which is usually by the end of October; but should the
weather continue open, a few will remain to a much later period. I started
one as late as the 9th December, in the autumn of 1834. Montague records
an instance of this bird being killed in Devonshire as early as February
in 1807."
The Stone Curlew is singularly shy and cautious in avoiding observers, and
should it be disturbed, at once seeks shelter by crouching to the ground;
if still followed, it endeavours to escape by running, and is rarely
forced to have recourse to its wings. Its flight is gentle and easy, but
seldom long sustained. During the day it usually remains quiet, and in
South Africa conceals itself from the presence of man almost after the
manner of an Owl. No sooner, however, has night set in, than it appears
in quite a new character, darting lightly about on rapid wing in search
of food and water, or running swiftly over the surface of the ground. It
is not uncommon for a pair of these birds to wander for miles in search
of a drinking-place, returning before morning to their usual haunts.
Whilst thus actively employed, their clear resonant call of "cur-lui"
is constantly heard. Frogs, lizards, mice, and occasionally eggs and
small birds form their principal food; field-mice they catch after the
manner of a cat, and crunch the bones previous to swallowing their prey;
insects they also kill before consuming them; grains of sand and pebbles
are employed to assist the process of digestion. At the commencement of
spring, battles between the males frequently occur in order to obtain
a desired female. The eggs, from two to three in number, are deposited
about April in a slight hollow in the sand, these are about the size of
Hens' eggs and of the same shape, with a pale yellowish shell, spotted
and streaked with deep yellow and blackish brown. The female broods
and hatches her family in about sixteen days; during this time she is
carefully guarded by her watchful mate. As soon as the young quit the
nest, they follow their parent and receive instruction in the art of
obtaining food: should danger be at hand, a cry warns them to seek
shelter, and they at once conceal themselves by lying close to the ground.
The Thick-knee exhibits considerable courage when protecting its family,
and has been seen to defend its nest with vigour against the approach
of sheep or dogs. One of these birds, kept by Brehm the elder, became
extraordinarily tame and ran freely about the house, testifying the utmost
attachment to his master, eating from his hand, and allowing himself to be
caressed at pleasure.
* * * * *
The PLOVERS (_Charadrii_) constitute a family of short-necked,
large-headed birds, of small size, with moderately long, slender, but
thick-jointed legs, three-toed feet, the hinder toe being either entirely
wanting or but slightly developed and much raised. The wings are pointed
and slender, with the first or second quill longer than the rest, and the
secondaries prolonged. The short tail is composed of twelve feathers,
and slightly rounded at its extremity. The beak, which is rarely more
than half as long as the head, is soft at its base and hard on the raised
portion at its extremity. The thick compact plumage varies in the sexes,
and according to the season of the year. The Plovers are met with in
every quarter of the globe, and while some occupy the interior of the
country, frequenting its plains and open grounds, others prefer the
vicinity of the sea, or the margins of lakes and rivers, obtaining their
food principally from the water; others, again, select desert tracts,
marshes, or mountainous districts. During the breeding season all live in
pairs, but near together; subsequently they collect together into large
parties, which gradually increase in size as the season for migrating
approaches. In their habits the Plovers are usually active; they run and
fly with equal facility, and though they rarely attempt to swim, are not
altogether unsuccessful in that particular. Almost all the species utter
a plaintive whistle, and during the breeding season can produce a few
connected, pleasing notes. The three or four pear-shaped variegated eggs
are deposited in a slight hollow in the ground, in which a few blades
of grass are occasionally placed. Both parents assist in the work of
incubation. Reptiles, worms, small quadrupeds, and insects constitute
the food of these birds. Their flesh is regarded as a delicacy, and they
are therefore objects of great attraction to the sportsman, although
they often render themselves extremely troublesome by uttering their
shrill cry, and thus warning their feathered companions of the approach
of danger. From this habit they have received the name of "tell-tales."
"The _Charadrius carunculata_, an African species," writes Livingstone, "a
most plaguey sort of 'public-spirited individual,' follows you everywhere,
flying overhead, and is most persevering in his attempts to give fair
warning to all the animals within hearing to flee from the approach of
danger."
THE GOLDEN PLOVER.
The GOLDEN PLOVER (_Charadrius auratus_, or _pluvialis_) is at once
recognisable by its slender beak and feet, pointed wings, and golden
plumage. The feathers on the upper portions of the body are black, thickly
covered with small green or golden yellow spots, the entire under side is
black. In the autumn, the throat and breast are spotted with yellowish
grey; the belly is white; the black tail-feathers are streaked with white;
and the black throat is decorated with a white stripe commencing at the
brow and merging into the breast. The eye is dark brown, the beak black,
and the foot blackish grey. This species is ten inches long and twenty-two
broad; the wing measures seven inches, and the tail three inches and a
half.
The Golden Plovers are especially numerous in the cooler portions of
the globe, becoming gradually rarer towards 57° north latitude. In
England they are generally distributed, but such as occupy the southern
parts go northwards to the high hills and swampy ground of Scotland
and the northern counties of England during the breeding season. These
migrations usually take place at night, the birds flying at a considerable
height from the ground. During the day they rest or seek for food, and,
strangely enough, select not their usually favourite marshes, but fields
and cultivated ground. These Plovers are brisk and nimble, running with
great rapidity, and flying, not only swiftly, but gracefully. During the
period of incubation they indulge in a variety of elegant gyrations in
the vicinity of the nest, and their plaintive, clear whistle is heard
to most advantage at that season. Worms, larvæ, beetles, snails, and
slugs constitute their principal nourishment, and in order to assist
digestion small pebbles are also swallowed. Water would appear to be a
real necessary of life to these birds, as they love to wash and cleanse
their feathers in it daily. The eggs, generally four in number, have a
yellowish, stone-coloured shell, marked and spotted with brownish black.
These are deposited in a slight hollow in the ground, lined with a few
fibres or blades of grass. The young leave the nest immediately after
quitting the shell, and follow their parents for about a month, after
which time they are able to fly and seek for food on their own account.
It is uncertain whether the father assists in the incubation of the eggs.
Macgillivray gives the following graphic description of the parental
affection observable in the male birds, as witnessed by himself on some
heath-covered mountain. "Presently a breeze rolls away the mist, and
discloses a number of these watchful sentinels, each on his mound of
faded moss, and all emitting their mellow cries the moment we offer to
advance. They are males, whose mates are brooding over their eggs, or
leading their down-clad and toddling chicks among the (to them) pleasant
peat-bogs that intervene between the high banks, clad with luxuriant
heath not yet recovered from the effects of the winter frosts, and
little meadows of cotton-grass, white as the snow-wreaths that lie on the
hills. How prettily they run over the grey moss and lichens, their little
feet twinkling, and their full, bright, and soft eyes gleaming as they
commence their attempts to entice us away from their chosen retreats."
The attempts to lure intruders from their nest, above alluded to, consist
in a most excellent feigning of being desperately wounded and unable to
fly, or by affecting to have lamed a leg, and thus enticing the enemy to
follow the cunning bird, as it slowly retreats in an opposite direction
to that occupied by its beloved progeny. When the young are able to fly,
the Plovers associate in flocks, which remain on the moors till winter
begins, when they quit them for pasture lands. As the season advances, and
the cold becomes severe, they descend to the coast, and usually remain in
the vicinity of the sea during the winter. Occasionally they are so tame
that, according to the authority above quoted, they will allow a sportsman
to approach within fifteen yards, and even walk around them several times
in order to drive them together before taking aim. "In windy weather,"
continues Macgillivray, "they often rest by lying flat on the ground,
and I have reason to think that at night this is the general practice.
In the Hebrides I have often gone to shoot them by moonlight, when they
seemed as actively engaged as in the day, which was also the case with
the Snipes, but I seldom succeeded in my object, it being extremely
difficult to estimate the distance at night. The numbers that at this
season frequent the sandy pastures and shores of the outer Hebrides is
astonishing."
[Illustration: THE GOLDEN PLOVER (_Charadrius auratus_), AND THE DOTTEREL
(_Eudromias Morinellus_).]
The Golden Plover is in great request for the table, and is in perfection
about September and October.
The specific name of _pluvialis_ has been given to the Golden Plover on
account of the extraordinary restlessness it exhibits before bad weather.
A very remarkable instance of this characteristic is given by the Rev.
R. Lubbock, in his "Fauna of Norfolk." According to that gentleman, he
was much struck by the perpetual wheeling, now high, now low, of a large
flock of these birds one fine bright day at the end of December. They were
not still for a moment, and yet there appeared to be no cause for such
unwonted disturbance. All next day they were in the same state of uproar,
and on the following morning, which was as calm and mild as the preceding,
the Plovers had all departed. About five o'clock in the morning, on the
same day, the wind began to howl, signs of a severe tempest set in, and by
the evening so much snow had fallen that in some places the drifts were
six or seven feet in depth.
THE RINGED PLOVER.
The RINGED PLOVER (_Charadrius hiaticula_) is light brownish ash-colour
on the upper parts of the body; the large wing-covers being tipped with
white; the throat and belly are white, the former having a black patch
upon its front; the cheeks are black, divided between the eyes by a white
line; the quills are dusky, part of the shafts and the web at the base
being white. Of the twelve feathers that compose the tail, the two centre
ones are brown, with dark tips, the three next black towards the end, the
next one only brown on the inner web, and the outer one entirely white.
The claws are black, the eyes hazel, and the feet orange, the beak is
orange, tipped with black. During the winter these colours are less bright
and the black upon the throat comparatively very pale. The female has less
white upon the front and more upon the wings, and her plumage generally
is of a more cineraceous brown. The young are dusky black and without the
white on the front; their bill is dusky, and their foot yellowish brown.
The length of this species is seven inches and half, and the span of the
wing, sixteen inches; the bill measures one inch and half.
The Ringed Plover is abundantly met with in Germany and Holland, and is
also found in France and Italy; during the summer it visits Russia and
Siberia, whilst in Great Britain it remains throughout the greater part of
the year, being especially numerous in all such parts of our coast as are
well covered with sand and shingle. This species has, however, been known
to breed in the sandy warrens of Norfolk and Suffolk, at a considerable
distance from the sea. The food of this Plover consists of insects, worms,
and small crustaceans. The four eggs laid by the female are deposited near
the sea, in a hole in the sand, above high-water mark; occasionally this
cavity is lined with tiny stones, of about the size of a pea, and from
this circumstance has been derived the name of "Stone Hatch," by which the
bird is known in some parts of England. The eggs have a cineraceous brown
shell, spotted with black and greyish blue. If disturbed while brooding,
the parents at once feign lameness, and anxiously endeavour to lead
intruders away from their little family. The note of the Ringed Plover is
a shrill whistle.
* * * * *
The DOTTED PLOVERS (_Eudromias_) form a distinct group, having their
high straight beak compressed in the centre of the upper mandible, and
of greater length than their large head. A portion of the wing is much
prolonged, and the tarsus covered with horny plates. The dotted plumage is
very similar in the various species.
THE DOTTED PLOVER, OR DOTTEREL.