Red-wattled Lapwing

The last of these birds to be noticed is the Red-wattled Lapwing (Sarcogrammus indicus), which ranges from Arabia to Persia and through the Indian peninsula to Ceylon. It is distinguished at once by the red lappet or wattle that projects in front of the eye, the general plumage above being brown, glossed with green, bronze, and reddish, the top of the head, throat, and breast being black, and the rump, sides of the head and neck and tail white, the latter crossed by a black band and the wings by a white bar; the length is thirteen inches. It is a familiar and noisy bird, frequenting open spaces near the water, singly, in pairs, or small flocks, its vernacular name, in imitation of its cry, being Pity-to-do-it. It is cordially despised by all hunters, as it is constantly giving the alarm to other game. The usually four eggs are deposited after the manner of its relatives in a slight hollow; in color, they are yellowish blotched with brown.