LITTLE RINGED DOTTEREL. 



LITTLE RING DOTTIfELL. LITTLE RINGED PLOVER. 



Charadrius minor, JENYNS. GOULD. 



Charadrius ? Minor Lesser. 



ON the continent this bird occurs commonly in various parts 

 Germany, France, Italy, and Sweden, It has also been 

 found in Asia, in Persia, in Japan, and the Philippine Islands; 

 as alsp, Meyer says, in Africa, in Nubia and Abyssinia. 



But one specimen of this species, taken at Shoreham, in 

 Sussex, had for some time occurred in this country, but as it 

 was a very young bird, it had no doubt been hatched here by 

 a parent bird of the same kind. Its 'little life' was at once 

 cut short in the land of its birth 'O patria dolce; ingrata 

 patria.' Another was subsequently obtained from Scilly, in 

 September, 1851, by J. B. Ellman, Esq., of Lewes. In 

 Yorkshire one, a male, was shot in a ploughed field near Whixley, 

 an inland place in the West-Riding, by Mr. James Styan, 

 on the 30th. of July, 1850. 



It occasionally frequents the tide- way of the sea beach, but for 

 the most part gives a preference to sand-banks, and islands in 

 rivers, as also at times sandy places at some little distance 

 from them. 



These birds migrate in the spring and autumn, about March, 

 or rather April, and August or September. They travel in 

 small parties of from five to ten, and invariably during the 

 night. They are sociable in their habits, several broods being 

 brought out in the same locality, and they also intermingle 

 with flocks of other birds. They are not shy, and may be 

 approached pretty nearly. They are easily kept in confine- 

 ment for a certain time, and become very tame and amusing. 



