DOTTEREL. 571 



answer to Heysham' s inquiries, and dated from Marble Mills, 

 Stone House, Dent, I5th July 1831, which runs thus : 



" Sir, I am sorry to say, in reply to your favour of the 

 I2th inst, that your application for eggs of the Dotterel is 

 at least one month too late. The birds have nearly all left 

 the hills. But have you not made a mistake ? I think it 

 possible that in the hurry of writing you have said eggs instead 

 of skins. Great numbers of these are preserved and sold 

 to anglers, but I am told the eggs are seldom taken. If 

 you wish to have a few skins, pray inform me, and I will 

 send you some. Late in the season as it is for these birds 

 to be on the hills, and it is unusual for them to remain so long, 

 I believe I can yet procure two or three fresh ones." 



The following year Heysham applied to John Robinson 

 of Stone House, Dent, on i6th May, but the letter was delayed 

 in transit. 



Robinson replied : " I am afraid it will be out of my power 

 to procure you a nest with eggs. There is some dispute whether 

 they breed or not. Some are of opinion they do, others 

 the contrary. I have never yet met with anybody who had 

 found a nest. I called a few days ago on a man who partly 

 makes it his business to look after them. He informed me 

 that lately he shot a bird Dotterel (sic) which on opening he 

 found contained an egg, which puts the matter out of dispute. 

 He informs me that for the last four years the bird has become 

 more plentiful, which is to be wondered at, considering that 

 immediately upon its being ascertained that they have arrived 



everyone that can raise a gun is after them About the 



i5th or i6th of last month (? May 1832) a flock of nine or ten 

 arrived. One of our men shot two of them." 



Robinson appears to have taken an active interest in 

 assisting Heysham, for on 2Qth August in the same year (1832), 

 Heysham received a couple of Dotterel shot on Woofell, 

 with a note, in which the following passage occurs : 



" I have been repeatedly on the mountains during the 

 summer, but could never meet with any (Dotterel). I think 

 there is little doubt they leave us in the spring and return 

 again in September and remain a little while with us, prior 



