CHARADRIID.1^. 



539 



THE RINGED PLOVER. 

 .Egialitis hiaticola (Linnceus). 



This bird is sometimes called the Ringed Dotterel — a name to be 

 deprecated as having led to confusion with the true Dotterel, while 

 locally it is known as "Stone-hatch" or "Sand-lark." Through- 

 out the British Islands the Ringed Plover is generally distributed 

 along the flat portions of the coast, as well as on sandy warrens and 

 inland lakes at some distance from the sea, and on migration it is 

 also found by the banks of rivers. The birds which are more or 

 less resident here and on the opposite shores of France and 

 Plolland, as well as those which arrive from the north in autumn, 

 are larger, more bullet-headed, and duller in the colour of the 

 mantle than those which come from the south in spring ; but these 

 leave us after a short stay, though a few, perhaps, remain to breed in 

 Kent and Sussex. Many individuals of this smaller race have been 

 erroneously recorded as examples of the next species. 



In summer the Ringed Plover occurs in Iceland, and it has been 

 found on Jan Mayen, and even on the Seven Islands (lat. 8o°45'N.), 

 as well as on Spitsbergen. It has also been obtained up to 79° in 



