VOL. X, pp. 53-54 MARCH 14, 1896 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF PLOVER FROM 

 THE EAST COAST OF MADAGASCAR. 



BY CHARLES W. RICHMOND. 



The apparently new species of plover here described is repre 

 sented in the United States National Museum series by five 

 specimens. Three of these were in a collection of birds lately 

 received from Dr. W. L. Abbott ; the other two were obtained 

 by exchange some years ago from the Paris Museum. 



^Igialitis thoracica sp. uov. 



Type No. 151,174, U. S. National Museum, 9 adult, Loholoka, east coast 

 of Madagascar, June 3, 1895. Dr. W. L. Abbott, collector. 



Crown, back, scapulars, tertials, and wing-coverts hair brown, the 

 feathers edged with pale or deep buff, those of the greater wing-coverts 

 edged and tipped with white ; primaries, secondaries, rump, median 

 upper tail-coverts, and middle rectrices dark clove brown ; shafts of 

 primaries (including the third) with white on terminal half; primary 

 coverts brownish black, tipped with white; lateral upper tail-coverts 

 white; inner primaries narrowly bordered on inner web and tipped with 

 white ; base of outer webs white ; secondaries tipped with white, which 

 become broader toward the innermost. Forehead, lores, cheeks, throat, 

 axillars, under wing-coverts, sides of body, and flanks white ; a line from 

 upper mandible to lower anterior border of eye, continued posteriorly 

 through and including ear-coverts black, connecting with a narrower 

 black band extending across lower border of nape, and with a broad black 

 pectoral band, the latter more extensive on sides of chest; an interocular 

 crescent-shaped black band borders the white forehead and separates it 

 from a white line over eyes, ear-coverts, and passing across nape as a con 

 spicuous ruchal band (leaving the black crown patch entirely surrounded 

 by a white band and the latter isolated from other white markings) ; a 

 white band below the black pectoral band passes abruptly into cinnamon 

 buff on the abdomen and under tail-coverts, that of the abdomen extends 

 up on sides of body to the black band across breast, intercepting the white. 

 Three outer tail feathers white, with more or less dusky markings, 



8 BIOL. Soc. WASH., VOL. X, 1896 (53) 



