370 



Birds. 



THE DOTTREL, (Cliaradrius morinellus^ 



Is proverbially accounted a foolish bird, yet why so it is 

 hardly possible to say. Its length is about ten inches ; 

 the bill is not quite an inch long, and is black. The fore- 

 head is mottled with brown and grey ; the top of the 

 head is black ; and over each eye there is an arched line 

 of white. The back and wings are a light brown ; the 

 breast is a pale dull orange ; the middle of the body is 

 black, and the rest and the thighs are of a reddish white. 

 The tail is brown, black towards the end, and tipped with 

 white. This bird is migratory, and makes its appear- 

 ance in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and Derbyshire 

 in April, but soon leaves those counties and passes on 

 towards the north, breeding in the mountains of the 

 north of England and Scotland. In April, and sometimes 

 in September, Dottrels are seen in Wiltshire and Berk- 

 shire. They are generally caught, like other birds, by 

 night ; when, dazzled by the light of a torch, they are 

 at a loss to know where to fly for safety, the whole place 

 being in darkness, and generally select the very spot 

 which they should avoid. Many ridiculous stories have 

 been propagated about the gestures of this bird, and its 



