Birds. 9773 



being only used to describe the true dotterell {Charadritis morinellus). 

 These flocks of ringed plovers are as regular in their time of arrival in 

 the H umber district as are the gray plovers when on their passage 

 northward during the spring migration, by far the greater portion of 

 these latter birds arriving, no matter how backward the season, during 

 the first week in May. I have for years observed that, on this coast, 

 these two birds are truer to a certain date of arrival than any other of 

 the many species of migratory birds which visit the Humber. Like 

 the blackheaded gulls, the ringed dotterells prefer a level and dry 

 piece of fallow land as a resting-place, never keeping long, however, 

 to one spot, and it is not unusual at this season to see hundreds 

 together on the wing, sweeping across the marshes from one favourite 

 resting-ground to another. When thus changing quarters, they skim 

 along near the ground, rising and falling in their flight, and alternately 

 exhibiting the light and dark shades of their plumage, all the time 

 keeping up a constantly-repeated call-note, which, uttered from so 

 many small throats at once, has an extremely pleasing and musical 

 effect, — a certain sweet and wild melody in keeping with the scene : 

 it is one of those familiar sounds which remind us that summer days 

 are nearly over, and the golden autumn has come. All around in the 

 open marsh are — 



" The thousand waves of wheat, 

 That ripple round the lonely grange." 



More frequently, however, these yellow fields of grain are laid and 

 tossed about by summer storms into every shape of confusion, bearing 

 no inapt resemblance to a wild and stormy sea : to make the resem- 

 blance more perfect still, along the hollows of these storm-tossed waves 

 of grain comes the swift dashing flight and wild musical cry of the 

 little dotterell, or perhaps a group of blackheaded gulls on their way 

 from the distant wolds, slowly beating along, flying dead against the 

 freshening breeze, and almost brushing with their pure white breasts 

 the waving heads of corn. Small flocks of ringed plovers are found on 

 the Humber during the greater part of the year. August, however, is 

 their great month : within a few weeks the greater part of the flocks 

 now in the neighbourhood will have left. 



Whimhrel. — On several occasions towards the latter part of the 

 mouth I have seen flocks of whimbrel pass over this village, generally 

 flying in a south-west direction, and at such an immense height that 

 they looked mere snipe in size. Had it not been for their well-known 

 call-note, constantly repeated as they flew along, it would have been 



