10 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



did well till the first severe weather, to which he at 

 once succumbed. In May the few Dotterels that I 

 have met with have been almost stupidly tame, and 

 on being approached would run for a few yards, halt 

 abruptly, nod two or three times, stretch out a wing 

 and leg, and take wing with apparent reluctance, 

 settling down again at a short distance even when 

 some of their number had fallen to the gun. It 

 appears from various ancient authors on natural 

 history that these birds were formerly driven into 

 nets and thus taken in large numbers with great ease ; 

 and Gesner, as translated by Willughby and quoted 

 in Yarrell, says "I call it Morinellus for two reasons, 

 first because it is frequent among the Morini 

 (Flemmings) ; and next because it is a foolish Bird 

 even to a Proverb, we calling a foolish dull person a 

 Dotterel." 



I have heard from many eye-witnesses stories of 

 the abundance of the Dotterel on the spring migra- 

 tion in certain spots in our eastern counties, and one 

 most trustworthy individual assured me that he well 

 remembered the killing of a great many with sticks 

 and stones on the Yorkshire wolds in his youth, some 

 seventy years ago. It seems that these birds were 

 always held in high estimation for the table. I have 

 lately been supplied by a friend with an extract from 

 Miss Strickland's ' Lives of the Queens of England,' 

 in the form of a letter, dated 1535, written for Anne 

 Boleyn to thank Viscountess Lisle for sending some 

 Dotterels and a live Linnet as a present to the 

 Queen, it runs as follows : — " Pleaseth you to under- 

 stand that Her Grace liketh both presents very well ; 

 the one for being a special good dish, and the other 

 for a pleasant singing bird which does not cease at 



