Part 19

The adult has the back dark brown, with broad olive brown margins to the feathers; cheeks, neck, and breast lead grey; vent buff; flanks black, barred with white. Bill red. Length 11·5 in.; wing 4·75 in.

The young have the under parts dull brownish, barred on the flanks with dark brown. The female has occasionally some of the wing coverts black, barred with white, but this is a very variable feature. This species is subject to considerable differences in size and also in the intensity of colouring on the beak, breast, and under parts.

THE MOOR-HEN Gallinula chloropus (Linnæus)

This is the commonest, tamest, and best known of the Rails, and occurs abundantly throughout the British Isles wherever some water surrounded by cover is found, even though it be a small ditch or pond. It has even penetrated into the heart of London, and may be watched as it comes out to pick up the crumbs thrown by the passer-by, and takes them back to her young concealed in the rushes. Their food consists of insects, worms, slugs, aquatic vegetation, and a certain amount of grain. In some districts considerable damage is done in early spring to the watercress beds, the fresh tender shoots being nipped off as soon as they start to grow.

In April several nests are partially begun; these are generally situated in clumps of sedge or rushes, but are sometimes built under bushes, or even trees, at some height above the ground. In one of these partially-built structures the eggs will be laid, and as soon as the site has been definitely chosen a considerable amount of material is added, and the higher leaves of the sedge are often bent over so as to conceal it from above. The young when first hatched are black, with the base of the beak bright red like that of their parents, but after about a fortnight this colour is lost, the beak and frontal plate becoming brownish green. The first few weeks are spent entirely on the water or in the thick cover fringing the banks of a pond or stream, and at such times the half-completed nests are utilised as nurseries on which to brood the young. Both parents feed and tend the young, and on the approach of danger safety is sought by diving. When swimming the Moor-hen proceeds slowly, with a curious bobbing motion of the head and neck, and on land, when undisturbed, it walks slowly, raising its tail at every step and thus displaying the white under tail coverts; if alarmed, however, it lowers its head and runs with considerable rapidity and shows no white whatever. It remains on the ground all day and roosts at night among the sedges and rushes, but in frosty weather it invariably roosts on trees.

The sexes are much alike: the upper parts dark olive brown; head, neck, and under parts bluish grey; the flank feathers streaked with white, under tail coverts white. Bill bright red at the base, with yellow tip in summer; dull olive brown in autumn and early winter. Legs greenish yellow. The young have the chin white, under parts greyish brown; they are also greyer on the back than the adults. Length 13 in.; wing 6·75 in.

THE COOT Fulica atra, Linnæus

The Coot is found on most of the open sheets of water throughout the country; it differs from its other congeners in being far less skulking and spending most of its time out on the open water, and procures much of its food by diving. Its feet are lobed, that is to say, have flat extensions of the skin which is constricted at the joints, down all the toes.

The nest is a huge structure of reeds and rushes placed well away from the shore, in a small clump of reeds, and the eggs, which number seven to ten, are very pale stone colour, minutely speckled and dotted with dark brown. The young bird when first hatched is black except for his head, which is sparsely covered with coarse down-like hairs of a red and orange tint.

Its food consists of aquatic insects and vegetation, as is the case with the Moor-hen. In winter, although a resident, it collects in large flocks, and many visit the bays and estuaries round the coast, receiving considerable additions to their numbers from the Continent. The Coot is extremely wary and difficult to approach, taking wing on the least sign of danger; it flies well and fast, carrying its legs stretched out behind, but has to run along the surface of the water for some distance before it can rise. The sexes are alike and have the whole of the plumage sooty black, with a narrow white bar across the wing. Bill and frontal plate white; legs dark green. Length 15 in.; wing 8·5 in.

Although as a rule this bird casts its primaries at once, this is not invariably the case, as it sometimes moults them in pairs like the majority of birds.

THE CRANE Grus communis, Bechstein

Three centuries or more ago the Crane bred regularly in our eastern counties, and for long afterwards it used to appear as a regular migrant every winter. At the present time, however, it is an extremely scarce and irregular visitor. It still breeds in Southern Scandinavia and thence southwards and eastwards throughout the whole of Europe. Its general colour is dark slaty grey, devoid of any markings. The inner secondaries are long and drooping and conceal the tail. The adults have a red warty patch on the crown. Length 45 in.; wing 21 in.

THE GREAT BUSTARD Otis tarda, Linnæus

In the early part of the sixteenth century the Great Bustard was well known and widely distributed throughout the moors and plains of England and the lowlands of Scotland. The increasing population, and cultivation of waste lands, gradually diminished localities suitable to its habits, and in 1838 the last eggs of our indigenous birds were taken.

At intervals irregular wanderers still occur in different parts of our islands, and several attempts to reintroduce this fine species in recent years have failed. In Spain, parts of Germany, and Southern Russia, this species is still to be found as a resident and breeding bird, but over the rest of Europe it is only known as an irregular visitor.

The male has the head bluish grey; rest of upper parts brownish buff, barred with black; wing coverts white; quills blackish. Breast banded with chestnut and grey; belly white. Length 43 in.; wing 24 in.

The female is smaller and lacks the band on the breast.

THE LITTLE BUSTARD Otis tetrax, Linnæus

The Little Bustard is only a scarce visitor, and has most frequently occurred on our southern and eastern coasts. It is a south European species, but breeds regularly on the plains of France, where it arrives in April and leaves in September.

The general colour of both sexes is sandy brown, streaked and vermiculated with black on the upper parts; the under parts are chiefly white. In summer the male has the throat and upper breast black, shading to grey on the chin, and crossed with irregular white bars. Length 17 in.; wing 9·5 in.

MACQUEEN'S BUSTARD Otis macqueeni, J. E. Gray

This is an Eastern species, breeding from Asia Minor eastwards towards the Caspian and Aral Seas, and has only occurred on two or three occasions in these islands.

This species may be recognised by having a crest of white feathers tipped with black, and a blackish ruff on the sides of the neck. The rest of the plumage above is buff, vermiculated with black, and the under parts are white. Length 38 in.; wing 15·5 in.

THE STONE-CURLEW Oedicnemus scolopax (S. G. Gmelin)

The Stone-Curlew is a summer visitor to this country, frequenting wild, sandy "brecks," and undulating chalky downs. It is therefore a somewhat local species, being commonest perhaps in the "breck" district of Norfolk and Suffolk; it is also found on the downs of most of the southern and eastern counties, as well as on the Chilterns and in one or two other counties to the north, but in the west of England, Scotland, and Ireland it is entirely absent, and has only occurred on very few occasions.

Sandy brown in colour, it assimilates so well with its surroundings that it is very difficult to see, and when approached will often "squat," stretching its neck out to its fullest extent, and so escape observation. It runs with great rapidity and flies strongly, its flight rather resembling that of a Pigeon, while the white bars on the wing coverts show up conspicuously. Its food, which is chiefly taken at dusk and dawn, consists of insects of all kinds, especially beetles.

Living as it frequently does in districts away from water, it journeys nightly to a favourite watering-place. The note is a loud whistling cry, which is uttered at night, and during the early spring these birds are very noisy.

The two eggs are deposited towards the end of April or beginning of May on the bare ground, a spot where there are many loose stones, among which they are very difficult to see, being usually chosen. In colour the eggs are pale clay spotted and streaked with dark brown, those in the same clutch being often very dissimilar in markings. Both sexes assist in the duties of incubation and rearing of the young, who, when first hatched, are pale buff with a longitudinal dark line down each side of the back. Their legs are much thickened, a feature common to many Limicoline birds, and this has led to this species being sometimes known as the "Thick-Knee." In August old and young gather together in flocks and shortly afterwards take their departure, though occasionally individuals have been known to pass the winter in this country.

The sexes are alike in plumage. The upper parts are of a uniform sandy brown, with dark streaks down the centres of the feathers; some of the wing coverts tipped with white to form two narrow bars. Neck and breast pale brown streaked with darker. Throat and belly white. There is also a white stripe under each eye. Bill yellow with a black tip; legs greenish yellow. Length 16 in.; wing 9·25 in.

The young are similar to their parents but browner, and the tail feathers are more barred.

THE PRATINCOLE Glareola pratincola (Linnæus)

The Pratincole is a native of Northern Africa, Asia Minor, and Palestine, but it also nests in certain suitable districts in South Europe, where it is only known as a summer visitor. In England it has not infrequently been taken on both spring and autumn migrations.

The adult has the upper parts clove brown. Tips of secondaries, tail coverts, and bases of tail feathers white. Under wing coverts chestnut. Throat buff, margined with black; breast brownish, turning to white on the belly. Length 10·5 in.; wing 7·5 in.

THE BLACK-WINGED PRATINCOLE Glareola melanoptera (Nordmann)

This is the Eastern form of the above, nesting from the shores of the Black Sea eastwards to the Altai. Two specimens, which came over in company with the commoner species, were shot in Kent in June 1903.

It may be recognised by the under wing coverts being black and the absence of the white tips to the secondaries.

THE CREAM-COLOURED COURSER Cursorius gallicus (J. F. Gmelin)

Inhabiting dry and arid regions south of the Mediterranean, this species has nevertheless wandered up to our islands on several occasions, and curiously enough always on the autumn migration, between October and December. The general colour above and below is sandy buff; quills and under wing coverts blackish. There is a dark stripe behind the eye, and the nape is bluish black, this colour extending forward to the eye. Length 10 in.; wing 6·3 in.

THE DOTTEREL Eudromias morinellus (Linnæus)

A lonely, bleak and bare wind-swept moorland, where the scanty herbage is kept short by the elements and the wandering flocks of mountain sheep; and where the sounds of nature are supplied on most days by the wind as it rushes down the valleys between the rounded hill-tops, to the accompaniment perhaps of the Curlew's wild whistle, or where on the few calm days in summer a deathly silence prevails, broken only by the humming of a bee as it visits the purple heather, or the clear "go back, go back" of the male Grouse. In such a spot one may hear a low monotonous whistle, or have one's attention attracted by a small flock of rapidly flying birds skirting the crest of the hill; these are Dotterel, and this is their summer home. This bird is extremely, one might almost say foolishly, tame, though often owing to this tameness it will escape observation, for, instead of taking wing as we approach, it will either stand motionless, or running to the far side of some patch of heather remain unseen, as its colours harmonise so well with the surrounding heather.

The nest is a mere scrape in a bare spot, and hardly any materials are brought together, though a few bits of moss and lichen may be arranged round the eggs. These are three in number and are greenish in colour, very boldly blotched and marked with brown. Both sexes perform the duties of incubation and attend to the wants of the young when hatched.

In this country this species is only a migrant, and in September leaves the hill-tops, and passing through the lower lying counties of England wings its way to other climes.

The sexes are alike and are sandy brown on the back, with longitudinal fulvous markings; there is a white stripe over the eye. Chin white; breast ash brown, bordered with a narrow white transverse band; lower breast chestnut; belly black. In winter the under parts are pale ash brown. The young have rufous edgings to the feathers of the back, but otherwise resemble their parents in winter dress. Length 9 in.; wing 6 in.

THE CASPIAN PLOVER Ægialitis asiatica (Pallas)

Two examples of this eastern Plover, which inhabits the Caspian and Aral Sea region, were obtained near Yarmouth in May 1890.

It is not unlike our Common Ringed Plover, but lacks all the black markings on the head, and the band across the breast is bright chestnut, edged along its posterior margin with black. Length 7·5 in.; wing 5·6 in.

RINGED PLOVER Ægialitis hiaticola (Linnæus)

Few people can have walked along our shores without having their attention attracted by the plaintive whistle of this delightful little bird. It will suddenly be seen flying past, the dark ring showing up in contrast to its white breast, while as it gets farther away a light line across the outspread wing will also help to distinguish it. When it settles, especially if among stones and shingle, we shall have hard work to see it, while the oft-repeated note, sounding first on one side and then on the other, and coming apparently from the dark stones themselves, tends to bewilder us. There is no month in the year when we cannot find this bird on our shores whatever be the weather--amidst a howling winter's gale and driving sleet, or under the blazing summer's sun, when we can see the heated air vibrating over the burning stones, he is still there, apparently absolutely unmoved by the all-powerful forces of nature. But the time to see him at his best is in May; we are walking along when suddenly his well-known note strikes our ears, and we see him running along in front of us; we sit down to watch him and he in his turn will suddenly stop, and then running to some stone slightly higher than its neighbours, stand up and watch us. His mate soon joins him and together they stand, now running a few yards and then turning round give us another look, while they bob their heads up and down at the same time with a motion so characteristic of the Plovers. Finally, seeing that we do not go away they both get up and, calling out as they do so, fly off; but in a minute or so one of them is back again, sitting and watching us from his old stand. They have evidently a nest somewhere near, and equally, evidently, the hen has evaded our vigilance and is closely sitting on her treasures. Disappointed we rise to go, and on our doing so the hen rises apparently from the ground within six feet of us and runs away.

One step, and there on the bare stones are four pear-shaped eggs lying close packed, with their narrow ends to the centre, and practically indistinguishable from the shingle on which they lie. In colour they are pale clay, uniformly covered with black spots and mottlings. As soon as the birds see that their treasure is discovered they fly round us, calling out continually till we pass on, leaving the hen to resume her duties. The young are covered with thick down when hatched, and are brown, mottled with black on the back; below white, with a black ring round the chest. They leave the nest as soon as they are hatched, and very shortly begin to feed themselves on the various spiders, flies, and other small insects that abound in such places. Both parents carefully watch and tend them, flying up on the approach of danger, while the young squat closely on the ground, where they become almost invisible. Their wings grow when at the age of five weeks, by which time they are nearly as large as their parents, and are then well able to take care of themselves and wander away to join the flocks of their own kind, or to amalgamate with other passing wanderers, and add their cries to swell the sounds of the shore, which are such a delight to every naturalist.

The sexes are alike in plumage. General colour above pale sandy brown; below white. Forehead white, succeeded by a black band; lores and band across chest black. Legs bright yellow; beak black, yellow at its base.

The young resemble the adults, but lack the black band on the forehead; the chest band is brown concolorous with the upper parts. The legs olive green.

Generally distributed along the shore and in some inland sandy places throughout the British Isles.

THE LITTLE RINGED PLOVER Ægialitis curonica (J. F. Gmelin)

This species breeds in Scandinavia and throughout Europe, being rather scarcer in the west. To our shores it is only a very occasional straggler, not more than half-a-dozen authenticated instances being known.

It resembles the preceding species, but is rather smaller in size, paler in colour, and the bill is narrower, longer in proportion, and wholly black. The best characteristic, however, is that the shafts of all the primaries, except the outer ones, are dusky, whereas in the Ringed Plover they are all flecked with white to form a conspicuous bar when the wing is opened. Length 6·5 in.; wing 4·5 in.

THE KENTISH PLOVER Ægialitis cantiana (Latham)

As the Ringed Plover is one of our commonest shore birds, so the present species is one of our rarest, and it will never be met with unless a special journey is made to that lonely stretch of shore, which is its only home in these islands. In habits it is almost the counterpart of the Ringed Plover, but is a true migrant, arriving in April and leaving in September. The note is a short monosyllabic whistle and quite distinct from that of the preceding species.

It is a smaller bird than the Ringed Plover, which it otherwise resembles, except that the dark band across the chest is broken in the centre. Female and young resemble the male, but the band on forehead and chest is brown instead of black, and of the same colour as the upper parts. Length 6·25 in.; wing 4·25 in.

THE KILLDEER PLOVER Ægialitis vocifera (Linnæus)

Only two examples of this American species have been shot in England. It is a larger bird than any of our other Ringed Plovers, which it somewhat resembles, but it may be recognised by its rufous rump and upper tail coverts, a black subterminal bar and white tip to all the tail feathers except the central pair, and the presence of two narrow black bands across the breast. Length 9·5 in.; wing 6·5 in.

GOLDEN PLOVER Charadrius pluvialis, Linnæus

The home of the Golden Plover is on the lower slopes of those hills the tops of which the Dotterel takes as his own, for the Golden Plover prefers the cover afforded by the tall heather and the more abundant and varied insect diet of the lower lands.

As we walk up the hill we first hear his shrill whistle, and soon see him coming to meet us. Settling some yards ahead, he pipes his whistle incessantly, and then as we approach he flies on to some other upstanding boulder, and so on for perhaps half-a-mile, till, having escorted us to the limits of the ground over which he claims suzerain rights, he hands us over to the ruling chief of the next territory; Thus in a walk over the hillside we find ourselves incessantly accompanied by one of these birds, whose cry is never out of our ears. We have, however, only noticed half the game, for the birds that have been accompanying us are almost always male birds: his duty it is to stand on some exposed mound while his hen crouches amid the heather on her precious eggs, four pear-shaped beauties, the black spots and markings showing up against their greenish ground colour. On the first appearance of any intruder he will sound his pipe and fly off towards us, while his mate quietly leaves her eggs, and, flying low, circles round till we see her apparently coming up from a direction diametrically opposed to that in which her treasures lie. It will be unavailing for us to lie in wait hoping to watch her return to the nest, unless we are completely concealed, for he will keep a close eye upon us, and until his warning whistle is quiet she will not return. When the young are hatched both birds meet and follow us, while in response to the warning, the young squat close to the ground, under some sheltering piece of heather, and so defy detection. In autumn these birds collect in large flocks, and though many remain on the moors all the year round, the majority come to the marshes near the sea and gradually pass southwards.

The sexes are alike in plumage. The whole of the upper parts are dark brown, with two or more yellow spots on the margins of each feather. The throat and breast are black, bordered by a clear-cut white line. Bill and legs black. In winter the black on the throat and chest is replaced by white, with pale brownish mottlings across the latter. Length 11 in.; wing 7·5 in.

The young resemble their parents in winter but the yellow is brighter, and there are traces of yellow across the breast. It is generally distributed throughout these islands, breeding commonly on the moorlands, and becoming much more numerous in Scotland.

THE LESSER GOLDEN PLOVER Charadrius dominicus, P. L. S. Müller

This species is subdivided into two forms, one of which is found in Eastern Asia, while the other is an inhabitant of North America.

Examples of both these forms have been shot in the United Kingdom, although the American form, as might be expected, has occurred the more frequently of the two.

Both these forms may be distinguished from our common species, which they closely resemble, in having the axillaries smoke grey instead of white. Length about 9 in.; wing 6·75 in.

GREY PLOVER Squatarola helvetica (Linnæus)