86 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 



Beachamwell the different aspect of the soil of late years, 

 has banished for ever these once numerous visitants. 

 In that neighbourhood, as I am informed by the Eev. H. 

 Dugmore, the greater part of the warren, about ten or 

 twelve years ago, was broken up, and the remainder laid 

 down for sheep walks, since which time (with the excep- 

 tion of the first year after the alteration took place, when 

 a few made their appearance), he has not seen a single 

 ringed plover, where, twenty years ago, they might have 

 been counted by hundreds. The stone-curlew and lap- 

 wing, are still met with, but in much smaller numbers 

 " not one in twenty to what they used to be" and since 

 the warren was thus broken up, such migrants as the 

 sea eagle, the rough-legged buzzard, and the peregrine, 

 of frequent occurrence in former days, are now rarely seen. 

 In like manner Brandon warren has been done away 

 with for some years, but Mr. Newcome observed a few 

 pairs in May, 1867, both on Lakenheath and Wangford 

 warrens, in Suffolk, and they are still found, I believe, 

 (certainly up to 1863) on Elveden in small numbers. 

 I may here also state that Mr. Anthony Hamond, jun., 

 showed me recently two eggs of this plover, taken, 

 about twenty years ago, from a nest in Water-lane, in 

 the Westacre district, close to Walton common, one 

 of the few wet commons still existing in Norfolk. As 

 far as I could learn but one pair of birds were seen 

 at the time, and the nest was situated near a run of 

 water, from whence this gravelly lane derives its name ; 

 nor have any birds of the kind been since observed, in 

 that very exceptional locality. 



Sir Thomas Browne does not appear to have known 

 this bird as an inland breeder, but under the name 

 of " Ringlestones"* describes it " as common about 



* Mr. Alfred Newton informs me that "Bingel" is at the 

 present day a Norsk name for this bird. The term sea-dotterel, 

 also, frequently but erroneously applied to this plover, is of 



