In the Neighbourhood of Salisbury. 



253 



once saw one of these birds, to my surprise, in our water- meadows, 

 immediately behind the Vicarage, but it is the only occasion on 

 which I have seen it so far inland. They breed freely at Christ- 

 church and Muddeford, from whence I obtained some eggs. 

 I also shot them on Sfui t Island, where they were in some numbers; 

 flying out a little distance to seaward when you disturbed them, and 

 soon curling round to the shore again from whence they had started, 

 and enlivening the scene with their shrill but pleasing whistle. 



Chararlrius Minor. " Little Ringed Dotterel." This greatly re- 

 sembles the former species, so much so that it may have been often 

 confounded with it. It is, however, far more scarce than the other. 

 If, however, there is an opportunity of comparing the skins of the 

 two birds, you can distinguish them in this way, that, whereas in 

 C. Riaticula the shaft of the second quill and the others are white, 

 in C. Minor the same are brown. Mr. Hart has given me a note of 

 one of these birds having been killed at Christchurch on April 26th, 

 1879, by H. Preston; another also having occurred there many 

 years ago ; but they are rare. 



Charadrius Cantianus. " Kentish Plover/'' This is another 

 species somewhat resembling the two former which is occasionally 

 met with in the Avon mouth district. Mr. Cecil Smith found it 

 breeding, and took the eggs of it, in Guernsey, in 1876 ; and the 

 following occurrences have been noted at Christchurch : — two speci- 

 mens in 1859, which are now in Hart's collection ; one in 1873 ; 

 and two others in 1874 off Needsour Point, in the Solent. 



(Egialitis Vocifera. " Kill-Deer Plover." I am indebted to Mr. 

 Hart for enabling me to mention an instance of the capture of this 

 American species at Christchurch, which, I believe, is the only 

 European instance of it recorded. It is now in Hart's collection, 

 where I have seen it, and was shot at Knap Mill, by Tom Dowden, 

 belonging to the Royalty Fishery, in 1859. In is an American 

 bird, and takes its name from its peculiar cry. It is not unlike the 

 Ringed Dotterel in general colouring and appearance ; but it is a 

 larger bird with a longer tail, and has a double black band across 

 the breast, by which it can be at once recognised. 



(Edicnemus Crepitans. " Thick-knee," " Stone Curlew," or 



VOL. XXI. — NO. LXII. S 



