“ Its artifices to prevent the discovery of its nest are as eager and ingenious as those of other plovers, and, like them, its nest is little more than a depression in the ground containing four eggs. These eggs are esteemed a great delicacy, and great numbers are sent to the London market, under the name of plovers' eggs. The bird itself is also highly esteemed for the table. ”

“ An Old World plover (Vanellus cristatus) , differing from the true plovers chiefly in having a hind toe. It is numerous in summer in all the temperate parts of Europe and Asia, but the majority migrate southward in winter. It is very plover-like in form and habits, and among the most beautiful of shore-birds. The head, which is surmounted with a beautiful crest, is black; the throat black in summer and white in winter ”