The Dotterel 



wandering flocks of mountain sheep ; and where the sounds 

 of nature are supplied on most days by the wind as it rushes 

 down the valleys between the rounded hill-tops, to the 

 accompaniment perhaps of the Curlew's wild whistle, or 

 where on the few calm days in summer a deathly silence 

 prevails, broken only by the humming of a bee as it visits 

 the purple heather, or the clear " go back, go back " of 

 the male Grouse. In such a spot one may hear a low 

 monotonous whistle, or have one's attention attracted by a 

 small flock of rapidly flying birds skirting the crest of the 

 hill ; these are Dotterel, and this is their summer home. 

 This bird is extremely, one might almost say foolishly, tame, 

 though often owing to this tameness it will escape observa- 

 tion, for, instead of taking wing as we approach, it will either 

 stand motionless, or running to the far side of some patch 

 of heather remain unseen, as its colours harmonise so well 

 with the surrounding heather. 



The nest is a mere scrape in a bare spot, and hardly 

 any materials are brought together, though a few bits of 

 moss and lichen may be arranged round the eggs. These are 

 three in number and are greenish in colour, very boldly 

 blotched and marked with brown. Both sexes perform 

 the duties of incubation and attend to the wants of the 

 young when hatched. 



In this country this species is only a migrant, and in 

 September leaves the hill-tops, and passing through the 

 lower lying counties of England wings its way to other 

 climes. 



The sexes are alike and are sandy brown on the back, 

 with longitudinal fulvous markings ; there is a white stripe 



297 38 



