THE COMMON RINGED-PLOVER. 6 ? 



rescued for the late Lord Lilford's collection of Northamptonshire birds. The 

 other was cooked and eaten as a " Short-billed Woodcock " ! 



Fam ily CHARADRIIDAL. 



COMMON RINGED-PLOVER. 



ialitis hiaticula, LlNN. 



A I A HE Ringed or Ring- Plover is sometimes called the Ringed-" Dotterel," which 

 name should be reserved for Eudromias morinellus ; also the "Sand Lark," 

 a name no less to be deprecated, as it conveys a false impression of relationship ; 

 also the " Stone-hatch," for reasons which will appear. Many of the English 

 vernacular names, founded on chance external resemblances such as "Night-Hawk," 

 " Sea-Swallow," " Hedge-Sparrow," are productive of great confusion in the minds 

 of beginners at our science, and it would be well if they (the names) could be 

 treated as superfluous kittens and puppies are. 



Two races of the Ringed- Plover occur in our country ; one, a larger, burlier 

 form (called by Seebohm <&g. hiaticula major], is the usual one with us; the 

 other, smaller form, which may possibly breed in S.E. England, is, as well as 

 being smaller and slenderer, rather darker in the tint of the upper parts. But 

 while the existence of these two varieties is worth bearing in mind, because it 

 may help us somewhat in throwing light upon the migration question, the trifling 

 differences do not warrant their separation even as subspecies. The larger form 

 breeds in Greenland, Spitsbergen, Iceland, Novaya Zemlya, and in Europe 

 generally north of the Alps, including Britain, and as far east as the Taimyr 

 Peninsula and Lake Baikal, including Palestine (Tristram) ; the smaller race 

 overlaps the other, and breeds down to North Africa and the Canaries, and east- 

 ward to Turkestan. In winter the Ringed-Plover is found on all the South 



