BIRDS 



197. Cream-coloured Courser. Cursorius 



gallicus (J. F. Gmelin) 

 Dr. Babington mentions one occurrence 

 of this very rare straggler to England, stating 

 that one was shot at Friston in 1828 {Cata- 

 logue, p. 239). 



198. Dotterel. Eudromias morinellus {L,mn.) 

 An uncommon spring and autumn migrant, 



but it is quite possible that in the plain 

 plumage of the first autumn many "have been 

 shot and eaten without being recognized. In 

 the spring of 1880 one in perfect summer 

 dress was brought to Mr. Hele which had 

 'made a job of itself (Suffolk for suicide) 

 against the telegraph wires so effectually that 

 it could not be mounted. The dotterel breeds 

 no nearer to Suffolk than the mountains of 

 the English lake district. 



199. Ringed Plover. Mgia litis hiaticula 



(Linn.) 



Locally, Stone-hatch, inland ; Stone-runner, 

 on the coast. 



The graceful flight and mellow whistle of 

 this pretty bird must be familiar to every one 

 who has walked along the shingly beaches of 

 Suffolk. It is a resident breeding on the 

 coast and also inland at Barnham, Elveden, 

 Lakenheath and on Thetford Warren. Mr. 

 W. G. Clarke has given {Zoologist, 1897, pp. 

 502-4) full details of the inland nesting- 

 places, stating that the birds arrive in March 

 and sometimes have eggs by the end of the 

 month, adding that they leave about mid- 

 August and are said to ' go with the cuckoos.' 

 Young birds unable to fly are sometimes seen 

 in August, which indicates that two broods 

 are reared in the year.- A rather smaller form 

 with darker mantle occurs on migration, but 

 the real little ringed plover (/£. curonica) 

 has not been recognized in Suffolk. 



200. Kentish Plover. Mgialitis cantiana 



(Latham) 

 A rare spring and autumn migrant, the 

 breeding grounds of which are confined in 

 England to a very limited area on the coasts 

 of Kent and Sussex. It is smaller than the 

 ringed plover and can be identified at any age 

 by its black legs. A very perfect male in the 

 Ipswich Museum was shot near Aldeburgh in 

 June, 1869. 



201. Golden Plover. Charadrius pluvialis, 



Linn. 



A winter migrant often met with inland 



but rarely remaining late enough to assume its 



summer plumage. In May, 1891, one was 



shot at Tuddenbam (west Suffolk) with a 



very perfect black breast, which is still in the 

 possession of Mr. Travis of Bury. Its nearest 

 breeding grounds are on the Derbyshire hills. 

 The lesser golden plover {Charadrius dominicus) 

 has lately been added to the British list, and 

 any one shooting a small golden plover near 

 the coast will do well to obtain the opinion 

 of an expert before consigning it to the larder. 



202. Grey Plover. Squatarola helvetica (Linn.) 

 A typical spring and autumn visitant much 

 more numerous in the latter season. Young 

 birds in first plumage have a yellowish tinge 

 on the back, but the grey plover can be recog- 

 nized in any plumage by possessing a hind 

 toe. The splendid specimens in the Ipswich 

 Museum were shot near Aldeburgh in 1866 

 or 1867. 



403. Lapwing. Vanellus vulgaris, Bechstein. 

 Locally, Peewit, Horn-Pie. 

 A resident breeding in rough meadows, on 

 commons and also on arable land throughout 

 the county. In the very early spring of 1 894 

 a full clutch of eggs was found at Tostock 

 on 30 March. Many eggs are taken for 

 eating, but if the first nest is safely hatched 

 only one brood is reared. Early in July the 

 Suffolk-bred birds congregate in flocks, and 

 there are large additions of foreigners ' in late 

 autumn, of which there are many records 

 from lightships and lighthouses. 



204. Turnstone. Strepsilas interpres (Linn.) 

 A spring and autumn migrant and a bird 



easily recognized from its black and white 

 plumage. The young birds begin to arrive 

 in August and are sometimes so tame that 

 they will allow a shore-shooter to walk 

 almost up to them. The turnstone frequents 

 the beach and is often seen feeding quite close 

 to the tide-line. Dr. Babington had no 

 records from west Suffolk. 



205. Oyster-catcher. Hamatopus ostralegus, 



Linn. 

 Locally, Olive (Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain) ; 

 Mere-Pie. 



The great flocks of oyster-catchers which 

 frequent the shores of the Wash are unknown 

 in Suffolk, though Mr. Hele says that they 

 were ' formerly much more abundant than now 

 and used to breed in large numbers about the 

 mere-land at Thorpe.' No eggs came into 

 his possession between i860 and 1890, when 

 in the second edition of his book he wrote of 

 the once abundant birds : * A few of these 

 are generally to be found during May, both 

 at Thorpe and about the river side,' referring 

 to those which occurred on migration. In 



205 



