30 BRITISH BIRDS. 



CHARADRIUS MORINELLUS. 

 DOTTEREL. 



(PLATE 26.) 



Pluvialis minor sive morinellus, Briss. Orn. v. p. 54 (1760). 



Charadrius morinellus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 254 (1766) ; et auctorum pluri- 



morum Bechstein, Temminck, Naumann, (Macgillivray), (Dresser), (Sounders), 



&c. 



Charadrius sibiricus, Lepech. Itin. pi. vi. (1771-80). 

 Charadrius tartaricus, Pall. Reise Russ. Reichs, ii. p. 715 (1773). 

 Eudromias morinella (Linn?), ") 



Eudromias montana, > Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. pp. 545-547 (1831). 



Eudromias stolida, 



Pluvialis morinellus (Linn.), Macgill. Man. Brit. B. ii. p. 50 (1842). 

 Morinellus sibiricus (Lepech?), Bonap. Cat. Parzud. p. 14 (1856). 



The Dotterel is almost exclusively known as a bird on migration in 

 England ; but a few may possibly still stay to breed on some of the most 

 secluded mountains in the Lake-district and the Cheviot range. It is 

 much commoner in the eastern portions of England than in the western 

 counties, and is very rare in "Wales. Its favourite breeding-grounds in the 

 British Islands are in the wildest parts of Scotland, on the lonely Gram- 

 pians in North Perthshire and on the confines of Inverness-shire. It has 

 also been found nesting in Ross-shire and the Orkneys, but to the 

 Shetlands it only appears to be a visitor on migration. In the western 

 portions of Scotland the Dotterel is only known as a rare straggler. In 

 Ireland it is much less common than in England, and there is no evidence 

 that it has ever bred in that country. It passes the Channel Islands 

 sparingly on migration. The Dotterel probably bred years ago on some of 

 the wildest hills in the south of England, but it has long since ceased to 

 do so, having been exterminated by collectors and others. Even whilst on 

 migration it is subject to incessant persecution, and naturally retires to 

 those few chosen haunts in the wildest parts of Scotland where it can 

 rear its young unmolested by man. 



The Dotterel, like the Ringed Plover, is a Western Palsearctic bird, 

 which has probably only recently extended its breeding-range into Asia. 

 It breeds on the tundras above the limits of forest-growth from the 

 Atlantic to the Pacific, and winters in Africa north of the equator. It 

 passes through West Siberia, Turkestan, and Central Europe on migration, 

 a few remaining to breed on the Alps, the mountains of Great Britain, 

 and Scandinavia, and a few wintering on the northern shores of the 

 Mediterranean. The Dotterel has never been known to occur in the 



