The Plover

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 50, 28 August 1893, Page 2

The Plover

We understand that Mr Sherwill, the Secretary of the Feilding district, connected with the Wellington Acclimatisatiou Society, intends to move in the directiou of importing from England, or the United States, some plovers. Of this bird there are many species, and they are found in every quarter of the globe ; many of them are birds of passage. They chiefly frequent low, moist grounds where they congregate in large flocks, and feed on worms, molluscs, insects, etc. ; but some of them visit mountainous regions in the breeding season. They fly with great strength and rapidity, and run with much swiftness. The flesh and eggs of many of them are esteemed great delicacies. The common British species, which it is proposed to import, is the golden plover, a handsome bird, of a blackish color, speckled with yellow at the tips and edges of the feathers ; the throat, breast, aud belly black in summer, whitish in winter. This is a bird of passage visiting the northern parts of Europe in summer, of the west of Asia, and of North America, and migrating to the south in winter. It is known in most parts of Europe, and is common in many districts of Britain, breeding in j the northern counties. It makes nn artless nest, little more than a slight depression in tbe ground and lays four eggs. The eggs are sold in enormous quantities in London and other large towns, and command an extraordinary price, eighteen shillings a dozen, and even more, being sometimes given for them, aud the cost is seldom less than threepence or sixpence per egg. Some sea birds' eggs outwardly unlike plovers' have been skilfully painted by hand in order to deceive. Scotland, Ireland, and Holland are all laid under contribution to produce the tens of thousands of dozens of genuine plovers' eggs which it is computed are annually consumed in London. After the first difficulty of getting some of these birds alive to New Zealand we believe they would thrive wonderfully, and would bo a blessing to agriculturalists,