STONE-CUKLEW.— DOTTEREL. 203 



Its food consists of beetles, field-mice, and frogs, as well 

 as of worms and slugs. It runs witli great swiftness, and is 

 much more active by night than by day ; often visiting the 

 beach at that time, for which its remarkably large eyes are 

 particularly adapted. It has been killed in the neighbour- 

 hood of Chichester, in January and December, and has been 

 occasionally met with on all parts of our coast in each of 

 the winter months, when it seeks its food among the turnips. 

 Mr. Dennis mentions that a Stone-Curlew was picked up 

 in a very emaciated state under the cliff at Seaford in winter, 

 and that another was put up in a piece of rape near East 

 Blatchington, on November 20th, 1856 ; and I have heard 

 of several others having been killed in the winter. 



CHARADRIID51. 



DOTTEREL. 



Eudromias morinellus. 



This species is migratory, appearing in the latter part of 

 April and mostly departing in October, though a few arc 

 met with still later. They may be found on the Downs, in 

 '' trips " of from seven or eight to a dozen, and sometimes 

 in even larger numbers, and are very partial to fields of 

 young rape, and turnips, where they feed largely on the small 

 weevil-like beetles, which are so destructive to those crops. 

 They used to breed in the North of England, particularly 

 on Helvellyn and Saddleback, and still do so in Scotland — 

 making no nest, but placing their eggs, three in number, on 

 the bare ground, on the higher tops of the mountains — 

 but never in this county. They are chiefly confined to the 

 Downs, from about Brighton to a little beyond Seaford, 

 and are not found in any number in West Sussex. 



