108 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



specimen was shown to him, obtained there by Sir W. Jardine, 

 *' thought it to be the Lagopus rupestris of the Faun. Bor. Am." Mr 

 Selby states that the specimen was " smaller than the usual average 

 size of the common Ptarmigan." Upon tliis subject I consulted 

 Professor Newton, and he considers there can be no doubt that the 

 mistake arose from the fact, that the orange-yellow summer dress of 

 the female L. mutus was not then generally known to naturalists, 

 but was supposed by them to be peculiar to the North American 

 species, L. rupestris. Therefore, when this specimen was obtained, 

 and the orange-yellow plumage detected, being doubtless one of 

 the higher-ranging and smaller birds, it was erroneously referred to 

 the latter species. 



Order vii., GRALLAE. ' Fam. l, CHARADRIADAE. 



GOLDEN PLOVER 



CHARADRIUS PLUVIALIS, Linnaeus. 



Sutherland has been named by Mr Selby " the great breeding 

 station of this species." He also says of it: "Plentiful through- 

 out the county, but particularly abundant in the district between 

 Lairg and Tongue, the parish of Durness, Scowrie, etc." To this 

 there is nothing to add, save that I have received eggs from all 

 parts of the county. Whilst the females are sitting on their nests, 

 the males go together in small flocks, and in autumn these flocks 

 increase in size, when the young join them, but break up again 

 into smaller flocks as they take their departure for the coast. 



Perhaps no bird's eggs vary so much in ground colour as do 

 those of the Golden Plover, and yet they can seldom be mistaken 

 for those of any other species. 



Ohs. Mr St. John mentions the Dotterell, (C. morinelhis), as 

 breeding on Ben Clibrich, "but by no means numerously." 

 There are specimens in the Dunrobin museum. Mr Crawford, 

 landlord of Lairg Lm, and once a gamekeeper in that district 

 (Ben Clibrich and eastward), writes to me that '" they are seen on 

 Ben Clibrich," but his informant could never find the nests. The 

 shepherd used to tell him of getting the nests frec^uently twenty 

 years ago, but he never preserved the eggs. 



Now, though the above may be held as pretty good evi- 

 dence of the Dotterell nesting in Sutherland, and though Ben 



