NATUKAL HISTOEY OF THE DOTTEEEL. 239 



their regular scouts posted ; and, without great care, 

 getting near the main body is out of the question. 



THE FIELD FAEE. 



Fieldfares also arrive as heralds of foul weather, 

 and are rather more accessible than the redwing. 

 They are to be shot both singly, among copses and in 

 hedgerows, and also in flocks on the ground, where 

 they pitch to feed on the grain shed during the 

 harvest. They feed also in meadows, and, like the 

 domestic thrush and blackbird, on almost all kinds of 

 berries. 



THE LAEK. 



This least of the tribes that come under the 

 shooter's notice, in snow and severe weather assem- 

 bling in vast flocks, and now and then affords him 

 a large return for his powder and shot. With a 

 long gun arid lots of dust shot, he shall put a dish 

 upon his table that will enable him to understand 

 the value the luxurious Romans set upon singing 

 birds. The larks of our South Downs are very pretty 

 imitations of the Theban beccaftcos. 



The Dotterel. The genus Charadrius, while 

 presenting some generic similarities of plumage with 

 the plover family, differs in its maritime habits, 

 shorter structure, arid in that it has no spotted 

 markings of feathers. 



The Dotterel Plover of British authors (Cliara- 

 drius marinellus) is a breeding visitant of Great Bri- 



