50 PLUVIALIN^E. CHARADRIUS. 



169. PLUVIALIS MORINELLUS. DOTTEREL PLOVER. 



Bill slender, considerably shorter than the head; inner 

 secondaries extremely elongated. In winter, the top of the 

 head dark brown, laterally margined with reddish -white ; 

 upper parts greenish-brown, the feathers edged with pale red ; 

 forehead and cheeks whitish, streaked with dusky ; fore neck 

 brownish-grey, a transverse band of white at its lower part ; 

 breast brownish-red. In summer, the top of the head brown- 

 ish-black, laterally margined with pure white, of which colour 

 are the forehead and cheeks ; upper parts greyish-brown, the 

 feathers edged with red ; fore-neck brownish-grey, a double 

 transverse band, black and white, at its lower part ; breast 

 bright red, part of abdomen black. Young with the tints 

 more grey, the upper part of the head reddish, with longitu- 

 dinal dusky spots ; the tail tipped with pale red. 



Male, 10, 19, 61, -^ 1 T V, if, T \. Female, 9, 18^. 



The Dotterel makes its appearance in various parts of Eng- 

 land and Scotland, when on its way northward in April and 

 May, and on its return in September and October. Many re- 

 main to breed, settling especially in the mountainous districts 

 of Cumberland and Westmoreland, and in some parts of the 

 Grampians. I have seen a very large flock, in September, 

 near the head of the Don, in Aberdeenshire. Dr Heysham 

 found it breeding on the summits of many of the mountains 

 of Cumberland. It makes no nest, but deposits its eggs, 

 generally three, seldom four in number, in a small cavity in 

 a dry place, usually near a stone or fragment of rock. The 

 eggs are brownish-yellow, spotted with brownish-black, an 

 inch and two-thirds in length, an inch and two-twelfths in 

 breadth. After the breeding season, the Dotterels collect 

 into flocks, and betake themselves to the lower parts of the 

 country. They are generally easily shot, being unsuspicious 

 of danger, and allowing a person to walk within a short dis- 

 tance, when they stretch up their wings and run before him. 

 This apparent stupidity has obtained for them their verna- 

 cular name. By the end of October they have all disap- 

 peared. 



Cliaradrius Morinellus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 254. Chara- 

 drius Morinellus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. ii. 746. Cliaradrius Mo- 

 rinellus, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. ii. 537. Pluvialis Morinel- 

 lus, Dotterel Plover, MacGillivray, Brit, Birds, iv. 



