212 THE DOTTEREL. 



of late years, however, been seen only on some of the 

 heights in the parishes of Abbey St. Bathans, Cockburns- 

 path, Coldingham, Cranshaws, Foulden, Greenlaw, Lauder, 

 Longformacus, and Mordington, and that only in small 

 numbers. It does not come to all of these localities every 

 year, but appears at irregular intervals, sometimes a year 

 or two elapsing between its visits. The high grounds in 

 the neighbourhood of Redheugh in the parish of Cockburns- 

 path, Dowlaw in the parish of Coldingham, and Lamberton 

 in the parish of Mordington — all near the sea — are at 

 present the usual resorts of the Dotterel in this county, 

 and here it is generally seen in small flocks of from five 

 to twelve birds. Its favourite haunts in these localities 

 are old leas, newly broken up by the plough and sown 

 with oats, where the numerous stones and turfy clods afford 

 protection to the small beetles, grubs, and other insects 

 upon which it feeds. 



On its first arrival it is very tame and unsuspicious, and 

 can easily be approached within gunshot, but after a flock 

 has been fired at several times the birds become much wilder. 

 Erom thirty to fifty years ago it was in great request by 

 sportsmen in the county and visitors from a distance, not only 

 on account of it being " a very dainty dish," ^ as old Drayton 

 has it in his Polyolhion, but also because it came in at a 

 time when game was out of season. Mr. Turnbull of Abbey 

 St. Bathans informs me that he and Mr. Boyd of Cherry- 



1 Folkard in his Wild Fowler says with regard to the Dotterel : " For centuries 

 past it has been highly esteemed as one of the rarest delicacies of the table, conse- 

 qiiently eagerly sought after by the fowler, and it appears by the Northumberland 

 Household Book (temp. Hen. Vili.) that whilst stints were purchased at twoj)ence 

 per dozen, Dotterels were bought at one penny each — a high price for so small a 

 bird in those days." He thus describes the method of taking Dotterels by lamp 

 or candle light on dark nights: "The fowler proceeds with a lanthorn to their 

 most frequented haunts in the fens, when, by disturbing them, they run along the 

 ground rather than attempt flying, and are thus easily taken with nets which are 

 spread for them. They always run towards the light, so that the fowler fairly 

 entices them to his net." — Second edition, 1864, pp. 307, 308. 



