RINGED PLOVER. 259 



wet sands which these birds frequent both by day and night 

 whenever the tide is out ; and when rummaging out a stoat's nest, 

 a number of ringed dotterels' wings are invariably found among 

 the bones, feathers, and other refuse forming the little hunter's 

 spoils of the chase. I have seen the stoat hunting in such localities, 

 and if he happens to be in his ermine dress, he forms a very pretty 

 and interesting object, running backwards and forwards, stealthily 

 but swiftly beating over every inch of the ground, winding in and 

 out among the rocks, turning the corners sharply with a snake-like 

 action of his long elastic backbone, and so intently occupied in his 

 pursuit as to allow you to approach near enough to stop his career 

 for ever." 



The largest flocks of Ringed Plovers I have ever seen in Scotland 

 are to be found on the eastern shores of the Mull of Galloway. 

 Many parts of the beach between Sandhead and Drumore are 

 covered with rolled stones, round and polished, each about the 

 size of a bird. On ground of this nature, hundreds, if not thou- 

 sands, of these birds congregate, forming into flocks greatly 

 exceeding those I have seen elsewhere. The beach is, of course, 

 well-adapted for concealing the birds when assembled; and as it is 

 very unlikely they could have been bred in the neighbourhood, 

 these extraordinary congregations, which never appear until the 

 close of autumn, may be looked upon as migratory flocks on the 

 march. 



I have found this beautiful bird breeding on the banks of many 

 of our inland lakes, such as Loch Lomond, Loch Awe, etc., where 

 it occupies promontories spread over with grey stones and round 

 white pebbles of spar to which the plumage of the birds closely 

 assimilates. In these situations, when running away from dis- 

 turbance or pursuit, along the margins of the lake, they linger or 

 stand perfectly still only on the stony places, and hurry across 

 any green patch of grass, should such come in their way. On sea 

 beaches, the nest is found just a little beyond high- water mark, 

 and is merely a saucer-like hollow, lined occasionally with broken 

 bivalve shells, which, in several instances, I have known to have 

 been carried a yard or two from where they were left by the tide. 

 The eggs are by no means easy to find, as on leaving the nest the 

 old bird runs to some distance from it before telling the intruder 

 of her presence by her remonstrative but mellow pipe. 



On very warm evenings in autumn, I have frequently been very 



