•-244 THE DOTTEREL. 



titles. i\ltliouoli, however, we mention their mari- 

 time resorts, as the most usual stations of these birds, 

 they are, by no means, their only ones. Along the 

 shores of rivers they are occasionally found to breed ; 

 choosing tlie loose pebbly gromid for that purj^ose, or 

 the sand-beds of the water-courses. They often occur 

 inland — ten, fifteen, or twenty miles distance from 

 the sea-coasts ; more especially in several of the 

 eastern counties of England. Ijike the common dot- 

 terel, they often exhibit extreme fear at the approach 

 of strangers, using every bird-like artifice to relieve 

 their broods from the unw^elcome intruder. Their 

 eggs are few, of a greenish ash colour. ^Ye subjoin a 

 description of the plumage of this noisy, numerous, 

 and pretty class of the genus Charadrius. The chief 

 peculiarity is a chin and collar of pure white encir- 

 cling the neck, followed by one of black, passing into 

 the brown of the upper parts of the plumage. The 

 lower parts are a clean white ; some portions of the 

 wings are grey brown ; others, clove brown ; and tips 

 of quills and secondaries white ; the tail brown, with 

 a clouded band ; the bill yellow, with a black tip ; the 

 legs yellow. We have remarked many slight varieties 

 of tintings, especially during the gayer season of 

 incubation . 



The Little Ringed Dotterel {Charadrius viinor). 

 The Little Ringed Plover of British authors. 



Mr. Yarrell describes this rare bird as an occa- 

 sional guest in our island, although we cannot but 

 ieem it is often shot without remark. Jardine says : 



