134 THE BIRDS OF CUMBERLAND. 



acquaintance with the Dotterel in England during 

 the nesting season : — 



" It is doubtful if the Dotterel ever bred freely 

 on the mountains of Cumberland and Westmorland, 

 at least during the last hundred years. From the 

 evidence of shepherds and men whose memory 

 extends back to early in the century, it would seem 

 that the Dotterel was never very numerous as a 

 breeding species, but that it appeared very regularly 

 each season, about the middle of May, in small 

 flocks or trips of twelve or fourteen birds in each, 

 on the tops of the highest mountains, where it 

 spent a few days before pairing off" and dispersing 

 over the neighbouring hills for nesting purposes. 

 During the last thirty years, judging from my 

 own observations, the species seems to have been 

 gradually disappearing from the district, until in 

 this year (1885), I only saw three pairs during 

 several days spent in visiting all the most likely 

 ground. It is not quite clear why the Dotterel 

 should be leaving the district, for it has apparently 

 few enemies now, whilst formerly, when it was more 

 numerous, it had many. Years ago it was quite the 

 custom amongst the miners to have a day's Dotterel 

 shooting, and through the shepherds or the miners 

 seeing them when going to their work, it soon got 

 abroad when the Dotterel had arrived in spring, and 

 every fellow who could procure the loan of a gun 

 would have a day ' mangt Dotterel,' whilst they 

 were as tame as barn-door fowls, and before they 

 had distributed themselves over the fells. But now, 

 through the mines being mostly closed, the gun tax, 

 the extermination of vermin, and anglers using 



