l62 British Birds 



DOTTEREL — {Eudrornius viorinellus ; formerly, 

 CJiaradrius ino7'ineilus). 



Dottrel or Dotterel Plover, Foolish Dottrel. — This 

 is a "summer visitor to our country, and in many 

 localities where it used to be abundant, or at least 

 common, it is now rare or almost unknown. This is 

 the case on parts, at least, of the Yorkshire Wolds, as 

 well as in the Lake district. They are sought after 

 by the fly-fisher and by the ornithologist and by the 

 epicure, and from their exceedingly simple and un- 

 susi)icious habits they fall easy victims before the 

 fowling-piece of modern days. The female makes no 

 nest, but lays her customary three eggs in a slight 

 cavity on the ground near high mountain tops, where 

 some tall-growing moss or other mountain herbage 

 facilitates concealment. The eggs are of an olivaceous 

 hue, spotted plentifully with very dark brown or 

 brownish-black. 



RINGED VUdYER—{^gialitis hiatimla; formerly, 

 CJiaradrius hiaticula). 



Ringed or Ring Dottrel. — A very pretty shore-bird, 

 of interesting habits, and not infrequent, especially in 

 winter, on many parts of the British coast. In quiet 

 parts, where large expanses of sand or shingle, or even 

 mud, are left by the receding tide, it may be seen in 

 numbers. It seems to make no nest : — the eggs are 

 laid on the sand, and often at a very considerable dis- 

 tance from the sea; as, for instance, on the warrens 

 in Norfolk and Suffolk. They are four in number, 

 very large in proportion to the size of the bird, 



