103.  GREY PLOVER. Squatarola helvetica, Linnaeus.  French, “Vanneau pluvier.”—­The Grey Plover is a regular but by no means numerous visitant to the coast of all the Islands during the winter months, but I have never found it in flocks like the Golden Plover.  A few fall victims to the numerous gunners who frequent the shores during the autumn and winter, and consequently it occasionally makes its appearance in the market, where I believe it often passes for a Golden Plover, especially in the case of young birds on their first arrival in November; but for the sake of the unknowing in such matters, I may say that they need never be deceived, as the Grey Plover has a hind toe, and also has the axillary plume or the longish feathers under the wing black, while the Golden Plover has no hind toe and the axillary plume white:  a little attention to these distinctions, which hold good at all ages and in all plumages, may occasionally save a certain amount of disappointment at dinner time, as the Grey Plover is apt to taste muddy and fishy, and is by no means so good as the Golden Plover.

It is included in Professor Ansted’s list, but only marked as occurring in Guernsey.  There are two specimens in the Museum, both in winter plumage.  Indeed, I do not know that it even remains long enough in the Channel Islands to assume, even partially, the black-breast of the breeding plumage, as it so often does in England.

104.  GOLDEN PLOVER. Charadrius pluvialis, Linnaeus.  French, “Pluvier dore.”—­A common winter visitant to all the Islands, arriving about the end of October or beginning of November, and remaining till the spring, sometimes till they have nearly assumed the black breast of the breeding-season; but I do not know that the Golden Plover ever breeds in the Islands, at all events in the present day.

Professor Ansted includes the Golden Plover in his list, and marks it as occurring in Guernsey and Sark.  There is one specimen in the Museum, probably killed rather late in the spring, as it is assuming the black breast.

105.  DOTTEREL. Eudromias morinellus, Linnaeus.  French, “Pluvier guignard.”—­The common Dotterel is a rare occasional visitant to the Channel Islands, occurring, however, on both the spring and autumn migration, as Mr. MacCulloch says he has a note of a Dotterel killed in May, 1849; he does not say in which of the Islands, but probably in Guernsey; and I have a skin of one, a fine full-plumaged bird, according to Mr. Couch, who forwarded me the skin, a female by dissection, killed in Herm on the 26th of April, 1877.  Another skin I have is that of a young bird of the year, killed in the autumn, I should think early in the autumn—­August or September; and the Rev. A. Morres, who kindly gave me this last one, has also a skin of one killed at the same time; both of these were Guernsey killed.

The Dotterel is included in Professor Ansted’s list, and by him marked as having occurred in Guernsey and Sark.  I should think Alderney a more likely place for the bird to have occurred than Sark, but I have not been able to gain any information about its occurrence there; neither the carpenter bird-stuffer nor his sporting friend had a skin or any part of the bird.  There is no specimen now in the Museum.