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1THE RINGED DOTTEREL. 



Charadrius hiaticula, LINNAEUS. 

 PLATE XXIII. 



Charadrius hiaticula, Linn., $c Grand pluvier a collier, 

 Temm. Ringed Plover or Dotterel, Sea Lark of British 

 authors. 



THIS lively species is abundant on all our coasts, 

 wherever they are bounded by a sandy or gravelly 

 beach, and their shrill and plaintive whistle will in- 

 dicate their vicinity, long before the unaccustomed 

 eye can detect the birds running among the shingle, 

 to the colour of which the plumage closely assimi- 

 lates. It is a constant resident with us ; but, at the 

 same time, an accession of numbers seems to be an- 

 nually received during winter, from higher latitudes, 

 where they are only summer visitants. The sea 

 shore, in the situations mentioned, is almost their 

 constant haunt ; there they breed among the shingle, 

 just out of water mark, depositing their eggs in some 

 slight hollow, and there they feed, summer and 

 winter, after the tide has retreated, finding daily the 

 supply of food renewed. Exceptions, however, occur, 

 where they breed at a greater distance from the sea 



