DOTTEREL PLOVER. 113 



the celebrated mountain of Lochnagar, in the upper part of 

 Aberdeenshire, I came upon a Dotterel, which flew from 

 among some stones, pretending lameness, and hovered 

 around, manifesting great anxiety. I shouted for two of my 

 companions, who had advanced, to come and see it, which 

 they did. Although it was evident the bird had a nest or 

 young ones, as it fluttered and limped when chased, we 

 failed in discovering its charge, and therefore left it. Mr. 

 M'Gregor, Achallader, and Mr. Gumming, Factor to Lord 

 Fife, informed me that though Dotterels still breed on the 

 higher hills in Braemar, they are less frequent now than 

 formerly, when they used to form flocks in autumn on the 

 moors. They are known to breed in other parts of Aber- 

 deenshire, especially in the Strath-Don district ; and I have 

 seen a few individuals, in August, in the upper part of 

 Forfarshire. 



