Ringed Plover.
Charadrius hiaticula, Linn. Faun. Suec., p. 66.
-------------- torquatus, Leach, Syst. Cat. of Indig. Mamm. and Birds in Brit. Mus., p. 28.
Mgialitis septentrionalis, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl., p. 548.
-----------hiaticula, Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 558.
Hiaticula anmlata, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 1840, p. 65.
----------- torquata, G. R. Gray, List, of Spec, in Brit. Mus. p. 68.
T h e Ringed Plover is so generally dispersed along the sea-coasts of the British Islands th at it would be
difficult to say on which o f them it could not be found. Mr. Rodd describes it as “ generally distributed
along the shores of Cornwall, and very often associated with Dunlins ; breeds e a rly ; eggs found in Scilly
in April.” From this locality, the most south-westerly o f our counties, it is found throughout England and
Scotland to the Orkneys ; it also frequents the Western Islands and Ireland. It is a stationary species, and
is to be met with both in winter and summer. I t usually breeds on the shingly portion o f the beaches, but
frequently along the sides o f the larger rivers, and, moreover, often proceeds to the wastes and warrens of
the interior, where it may find any attractive spot whereon to deposit its eggs and rear its young. The
other countries it inhabits are Iceland and Europe generally, to within the Arctic circle ; and it crosses over
the Mediterranean to Africa, occurring there as far south a t least as Mozambique and Walvisch Bay. I am
rather surprised that it is not included by Jerdon in his ‘ Birds o f India,’ nor by Mr. Holdsworth in his
“ L ist o f Ceylonese B i r d s n e i th e r does Mr. Swinhoe appear to have seen it in China. On reference to my
‘ Handbook to the Birds of Australia,’ it will be found that I possess a specimen killed at Port Stevens, in
New South Wales; it would be somewhat strange, therefore, if it should ultimately prove that the Ringed
Plover does not inhabit either India or China: it must surely be at least a casual visitor to those countries.
An opinion is pretty general that a second species o f Ringed Plover arrives on our southern coast in spring,
and either remains to breed here, or proceeds to regions further north for this purpose. On this head I
have received letters from various correspondents, some assuring me that the smaller bird is quite distinct from
the larger, while others express their doubts about regarding it as such. The specimens o f the old and young
Ringed Plover figured on the accompanying Plate, were taken from examples of the larger and indigenous bird
collected by myself on the Great Shingle a t Dungeness Point on the coast of Kent, June 12th, 1864; and as
the drawing was made on the spot the colouring o f the soft parts o f both may be depended upon. I must
remark that although there were several broods on the shingle o f the same age as those I have figured,
which had not left the shell more than a day or two, there were others running about that were nearly
fledged and able to fly, clearly showing that some o f the paired birds had incubated their eggs at an earlier
period. I have, from time to time, weighed many o f the old birds o f this species, and taken admeasurements
o f a still larger number, in order to ascertain the comparative weight and size of the sexes, but without
any satisfactory result, some o f the males being heavier and larger than the females, and vice versa. The
largest bird proved to he a female; but this large size did not appear to be constant in that sex.
Mr. Harting also kindly weighed for me six specimens shot by himself at Pagham Harbour on the 3rd of
December, 1867. These six birds were evidently adult, as they had black rings round their necks, and the
crescentic marks on their chests. The following are the weights and the colouring o f the outer tail-feathers
(which was supposed to be a character o f importance) of the six specimens in question :—
Colour of outer I Colour of'outer
Weight. tail-foa there. Weight. tail-feathers.
No. 1. Female . . . . 1160 grains. White. No. 4. Male..................... 1080 grains. Dark spot.
No. 2. Male..................... 1120 „ White. No. 5. Male..................... 1080 „ Dark edge.
No. 8. Female . . . . 1100 „ White. I Noi 6. Male. . . . . 980 „ Faint spot.
Difference between heaviest and lightest =180 grains.
The weight of the little species or race, as the case may be, o f the Ringed Plover, taking the average of
four specimens sent to me in the flesh by Mr. Swaysland on the 23rd o f September 1867, was two ounces;
but one of them weighed a quarter o f an ounce more, and another as much less. As the question respecting
there being one o r two species o f these Ringed Plovers on our coasts is still occupying the attention of
British ornithologists, I shall here insert two notes I have received on the subject. The first is from Mr.
George Dawson, of Brighton, who says* “ with regard to these birds being only a smaller race o f the larger,
I do not, at present certainly, agree, because you may see a flock o f sixty of the small ones at Shoreham at
the time the larger birds have young ones; both kinds keep distinct; and the small (which I call Charadrius