In Mongolia „it was not found by the Abbé David, and
Messrs. Blakiston and Dryer do not include it'in their latest
list of the Birds of Japan, but Cassin identified specimens
obtained at* Hakodadi on the cruise of the -U.S.-Ahip
I Portsmouth ’ (Pr.-Ac. Nat7 So’/Philad. 1858, p.-195)7 and
the Editor has seen examples obtained by Nordenskïold at
Koljutschin, close to Behring’s Straits.
The earliest ' mention of the Dotrtèrëï appears to be in
the Northumberland ‘ Household Book -(circa 1512); in
which the entry occurs : Item Dottrells to be bought for
my Lorde when thay ar in season and ’ to be had at jd. a
pece.” G-esner, in his * Historiæ Animalium,’ lib. III. p. 615
(1585), cites a description èent to him by Dr. Key, and'Wil-
lughby renders the passage as follows jjp p § | I# [the Dotterel]
is taken in the night time by the light of a candle by imitating
the gesture of-the F owlèril Por if-'hh-'strétchesr out an
Arm, that also' stretches' out a Wing ; if he aFoot, that ’KKe-
wise a Foot : & b|iW, whatever tEje Fowler-doth, the same
doth the Bird ; and so being intent upon mens gestures' it is
deceived, and covered with -the ‘'Net spread for MÉflf'lt
Morinellvs for two reasons, first-because'it is frequent among
the Morini- (Fiemmings) ; andrhext because it is a foolish Bird
even to aProverb, we calling a fooMshdull persona Dotterel.”*
Willughby ■ goes on - to quote an account-given'tó' “ his very
good friend Mr. Peter Dent, ’bPGaihbridge,’’ by a gentleman
of Norfolk, who fold him that ** ‘to^iföféb Dotterels * 'sE^or '
seven-persons usually gó ^company. ^Whe'h'theÿ’havè
found the Birds, " they set their Netfpa-“an advantageous
place-; and each of them holding a stonerin* either hand,
get behind the Birds, and striking their' stones often’-The
against another, -rouse them, which are naturally very sluggish
; and so%y degrees coup-them' and drive' themdirto^the
Net. .The Birds being - awakened do ? oftiir’ stretch themselves,
putting out’ a Wing cfrSa -Lég, and iüSfeita't-ión of
thesé, the men that drivegpiem thrust out an Arm or a *Le‘g
for fashion sake, to,- -comply- ^with an old cuSWmf Bu t he
’ * ,QïJ^I*0lpgy> R, In -the! original of Gresner, Dç. j£ey-also gives the
derivatbirof morinellw from /tapis, dull.
thought that this imitation did not conduce to. the taking of
them, for they seemed not. to mind or regard it.” To this
superstition Drayton alludes (Polyolbion, 25th Song)), where
he says :—
“ The Dotterell, which we thinké a very daintie" dish,
- Whose taking makes such sport',’ as man ho more can wish.
For as you creepe,",dr cowere,. or lye, or stoupe, or goe,
Sp, marking you (with care), the Apish bird doth doe 5 .
And acting everything, doijh never marke the net,
he be in the Snare, which men for him have set.”
And hé'1-expresses the - same idea in .some Panegyricke
Verses,’ prefixed to ) Cory at’s- Crudities ’ (1611)f®
It also appears that the bird was taken, with Hawks. Mr.
Parting has contributed to. Stevenson’s É Birds.of Norfolk ’
(ii. p. 82)f some interesting extracts-' from a curious MS.
diary kept by Han’s.' Jacob Wurmser v. Vendenheym, who
accompanied the Duke. of Wurtemberg to England in 1610,
and found King James I. at' Thetford, on the 7th May, harehunting
and.’hawking.- . The .next.-day, apres, que son
Excellence] - eut:-disné-‘avecq sa Ma^vle^Duc de. Iienox qui
l’estoit venu Visiter devant disné ^m enm à Ja ; chasëe où l’on
courrut le lievre, fif vnllerihn'-esperVieriet prirent des- Dbter-
elles, oiseau qui-se laisse prendre par une estrange 'manière
ainsy que onùus avons veù. Et qui se* peult mieulx dire
qu’escripre.” With reference d the predilection, of JamestÇ.
for this mild form of-sport, an amusing -'anecdote pWp.be
found in Hone’s ^Every-Day Book,’ 1826, p.,645,.under .date
! of.-May 10th, which .used’ to-' be known in the borders of
Hertford ând> Gambridgéshires as ‘Dotterel1 day.’ As régards
the-action of;-, stretching*-out’à ’wing alternately, it is not
peculiar to Dotterel, of even.fe^members ofêthe.Plover tribe.-;
many birds do4t?after being-in repose for sometime, .anddn
Hawks i t c a l l e d “ mantling ’’ by falconers.' - •'
The adult bird, in .its summer plumage, :has7the beak
black ; the iridesI dark brown ; the - top of .the head and
nape of' the* neck, blackish-brown, bounded on the . side-and
behind by a band of pure white ; the ear-coverts, the. neck,
and back, ash colour ; the scapulars, wing-coverts, and