64 STONE PLOVERS 1. In this article we are concerned with only two birds of the group, viz. the Indian Stone-Plover and the Great Stone-Plover. They form at very natural link with the Bustards and lead on to the Plovers proper, and are found throughout Old World. They are ground birds of a brown plumage, with a large head and large eyes, the latter necessitated by their nocturnal habits. During the day they rest on the ground in the shade of bushes or a grove of trees. The call of the Indian Stone-Plover is mostly heard during the night (after dusk), more particularly on moonlit nights -a series of sharp and clear whistling notes...pick...pick...pick followed by quickly repeated double notes, pick-wick...pick-wick...pick-wick..., and very often duets are indulged in (Salim Ali). The voice of the Great Stone-Plover which frequents river-beds and sand-banks is a harsh croak. though it is also heard occasionally piping at night" (Smythies). The piping call of the smaller bird is quite musical in effect, resembling that of sharp taps on a well-strung small drum and has indeed been described as "wild and musical". 2. The Stone Plover goes by the name of or in Hindi. चरकसंहिता has पानविक (v.I. पाणविक) in the list of प्रतुद birds. The name, from q4, means a 'drummer' and rf would be a 'pleasant drummer'. Now the Hindi name is directly from Sansk. af with and of the latter changed to and and the omission of fr so that both the names कलपाणविक and पाणविक belong to the Stone Plover. The मानसोल्लास mentions it as करवाण – vol, 2,276. 39. 3. hifare (large-headed), is a kind of bird in M. Williams and exactly corresponds to Hindi बड़सरी (v.l. बरसिरी), another name for the Stone Plover. There is thus tifare for both the Great and the Indian Stone- Plovers. 65 COURSERS & PRATINCOLES Three species of Genus Cursorius are found in India. They frequent dry plains and are of the size of a Lapwing. They are fast runners, so much so that like the spokes of a swiftly turned wheel their legs become invisi- ble, and the best known among them, the Indian Courser, found throughout the country, except East Bengal and Assam, is characterised by ivory or even china-white feet. It is evidently the of a placed in the group. Most editions of geefgar give vir instead which however has been rightly omitted by M. Williams as it does not make good sense. The Nirnaya Sagar edition mentions in the foot-note as an alternative reading, and this is given by M. Williams. Another name for the bird is for which is included in the quotation from a given by भट्टोत्पल in his commentary on बृहत्संहिता, 95.28. Its name in Telugu (Dura- wayi) also means 'a fast runner' and is the same as fear of grand 'Swift-foot' of Jerdon. The Pratincoles (Sand-Swallows or Swallow-Plovers) have short legs and Tern-like action and flight. They have Swallow-like bills with a large gape which helps them in catching insects on the wing. They hunt in flocks both on the ground and in the air. "They keep to the open ground ...running at great speed in short dashes hither and thither as they feed. on various insects and small grasshoppers. They very strongly and at great speed, constantly whirling and wheeling about as they go" (Stuart Baker). Two of the species frequent dry land while the third is associated with wide stretches of sand and shingle beds of the larger rivers. Many birds are known to perform "the broken-wing trick" when their nests con- taining young chicks are approached by man but the behaviour of the Pratincoles in this respect is particularly noteworthy-less so of the Ring- Plovers. Douglas Dewar describes his experience in the following words: "Swallow-Plovers were surrounding me. They were nearly all on the ground and striking strange attitudes. Some were lying on the sands as though they had been wounded and fallen on the ground; others were 1. Cassell's Book of Birds.
