Family CHARADRIIDyE. Genus Charadrius. 



Subfamily Charadriinm. 



DOTTEREL. 



CHARADRIUS MORINELLUS— (Z/:^«««^). 



Geographical Distribution. — British . England chiefly on 

 spring and autumn passage, more frequent in the eastern counties 

 than the western. A few may still possibly breed in the Lake 

 District and on the Cheviot Hills. Formerly bred on many of the 

 chalk ranges in the south, but has long ceased to do so. Wales, of 

 very rare occurrence, but this may probably, be owing in a great 

 measure to insufficient observation. Ireland, much rarer than in 

 England, and not known to have nested. Scotland is its head- 

 quarters in the British Islands. There it is said to breed on the 

 hills of Dumfriesshire, on the Grampians in North Perthshire, and 

 on the borders of Inverness-shire, and in Ross. It has been found 

 nesting on the Orkneys, but only passes the Shetlands on migra- 

 tion. In the west of Scotland it is rare, and has not hitherto 

 been noticed in any of the Outer Hebrides. Foreign: Pal paretic 

 region during breeding season ; western Palsearctic region only in 

 winter. Breeds on the tundras above forest growth across 

 Europe and Asia ; passes Central Europe (where a few remain 

 on the Alps, in Bohemia, in Transylvania, and further north, on 

 the mountains of Scandinavia, to breed). West Siberia, Turkestan, 

 and Persia on migration, and winters in Palestine, Egypt, and 

 North Africa, although a few remain during that season on the 

 northern shores of the Mediterranean. 



Allied Forms. — Charadrius veredus, a somewhat distantly 

 related species which breeds in Mongolia, and whose winter 

 quarters extend from Java to Australia. Differs from the Dotterel 

 in having a white belly in summer plumage, and in its small foot 

 (middle toe without claw shorter than bill, and less than half the 

 tarsus. — Seebokm). 



