The Distribution of Birds in Great Britain. 445 



often heard from his gamekeeper that it was quite easy, fifteen or 

 twenty years ago, to shoot Dotterels, when they had young, on the 

 Derbyshire hills bordering on Staffordshire. These hills are now 

 nearly all under cultivation, and Sir John Crewe believes that the 

 Dotterel no longer stays to breed, though small flocks are still seen 

 in May. 



The bird is well known to breed on several of the mountains in the 

 English Lake district, where, it is believed, its localities extend to the 

 three counties of Westmoreland, Cumberland, and Yorkshire. And the 

 Rev. H. B. Tristram tells me that a few pairs linger on the borders of 

 Durham and Cumberland ; and that he has heard of nests being taken 

 on the top of Cheviot, where he himself has seen the birds. 



Macgillivray describes the Dotterel as breeding in the upland tracts 

 of the counties of Forfar, Kincardine, Aberdeen, Banff, and Moray ; he 

 also speaks " of small flocks settling in the Lammermoor hills," so that 

 it is possible the bird may breed in the south of Scotland. 



Mr. T. Edward finds the nest in Aberdeen and Banff shires ; and 

 Mr. W. Dunbar marks the bird as breeding regularly in Sutherland and 

 Caithness. 



CHARADRIUS HIATICULA (Linn.}. Ringed Plover. 



Provinces I. -IV. VI.-XVIII. 



Subprovinces 1-3, 5-8, 10, 11, 17-19, 21, 22, 24-38. 



Lat. 50-61. " British " type, or general. 



More numerous in the north during summer, from the prevalence of 

 suitable localities ; but breeds throughout the coasts of Great Britain, 

 as well as on the margin of freshwater lakes, and even numerously on 

 dry sandy warrens in the eastern counties. 



Obs. The Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius curonicus, Beseke) 

 has been by some supposed to breed on the shores of Sussex and Kent, 

 and eggs attributed to this species are preserved in several collections. 

 But there is no doubt that these eggs, as well as most of the birds which 

 have been recorded in Britain as C. curonicus, represent a smaller race 

 of C. hiaticula. Certain it is that on the Continent C. curonicus is 

 described as frequenting principally fresh water and large rivers. The 

 specimens which I have seen from Sussex seem scarcely distinguishable, 

 except in size, from C. hiaticula, and very different from the true 

 C. curonicus, which is well known to every practical ornithologist. 



CHARADRIUS CANTIANUS (Lath.}. Kentish Plover. 



Provinces II. III. 



Subprovinces 6, 7. 



Lat. 50-52. " Germanic " type. Not in Ireland. 



One of the most local of our indigenous birds, breeding only in Sus- 

 sex and Kent, in both of which counties it is very scarce. 



