'^86 CHARADRID^. 



The Dotterel has been observed in many of the EiigHsh 

 counties both in spring and autumn, and has been known 

 to breed in the mountainous parts of the north of England ; 

 but I may remark that the name is frequently given in 

 Norfolk and elsewhere to the Ringed Plover, to which 

 birdivalso belong the eggs collected on the sea-coast, and 

 sold as Dotterel's eggs. 



THE RmGED PLOVER. 



CHARADRIUS HIATICULA. 



Forehead, lore, sides of the face, gorget reaching round the neck, bhu-k : a 

 band across the forehead and through the eyes, throat, a broad collar, and 

 all the lower parts, white ; upper plumage ash-brown ; outer tail-feather 

 white, the next nearly so, tlie other feathers grey at the base, passing into 

 dusky and black, tipped with white, except the two middle ones, which have 

 no white tips ; orbits, feet, and beak orange, the latter tipped with black. 

 Young — Colours of the head dull ; gorget incomplete, ash-brown ; bill dusky, 

 tinged with orange at the base of the lower mandible ; feet yellowish. 

 Length seven and a half inches. Eggs olive-yellow, with numerous black 

 and gi'ey spots. 



On almost any part of the sea-coast of Britain, where 

 there is a wide expanse of sand left at low water, a bird 

 may often be noticed, not much larger than a Lark, grey 

 above and white below, a patch of black on the forehead 

 and under the eye, a white ring round the neck, and a 

 black one below. If the wind be high, or rain be falling, 

 the observer will be able to get near enough to see these 

 markings ; for sea birds generally are less acute observers 

 in foul weather than in fair. On a nearer approach, the 

 bird will fly up, uttering a soft, sweet, plaintive whistle 

 of two notes, and, having performed a rapid, semicircular 

 flight, will probably alight at no great distance, and repeat 

 its note. If it has settled on the plain sand or on the water's 

 edge, or near a tidal pool, it runs rapidly, without hopping, 

 stoops its head, picks up a worm, a portion of shell-fish, 

 or a sand-hopper, runs, stops, pecks, and runs again, but 

 does not allow any one to come so near as before. The 

 next time that it alights, it may select, perhaps, the beach 



