168 PR.ECOCIAL GRALLATORES — LIMICOLJi;. 



Wing hair-brown ; luwer edge of joint, laoad margins and tips to greater coverts, margins to 

 secondaries broadening inwardly, basal halve's of outer webs of sixth and remaining primaries, first 

 quill-sbaft entirely, llu- others more or less, white. Upper tail-coverts : central feathers light brown 

 margined with white, the side ones pure white. Tail : first or outer rectrix white, with an oblong 

 longitudinal spot of pale l)ro\vn on the inner welj ; second light brown, with white shaft and tip ; 

 the rest darker brown, with Inown shafts and white tips, the white decreasing on the two centrals, 

 r.ill black ; legs deep blackish gray ; claws black." 



"Length of Aving, 5.4 inches ; tail. 2.;") ; bill in front, .75 ; tarsi, 1.18 ; middle toe (claw, .17), 

 .85." (SwiNHOE, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 140.) 



Genus OCHTHODROMUS, Eeichenbach. 



Ochthodromus, Reicue.nb. Av. Syst. 1853, Introd. p. xviii (type, Charadrius Wilsonius, Ord). 



Char. Bill large and stout, longer than the middle toe, the terminal half of the culmen strongly 

 convex, and base of the gonys forming a decided angle ; basal half of the maxilla depressed decidedly 

 below the level of the terminal half. Tail short, scarcely reaching the tips of the primaries. 



The distinctive characters of this well-marked genus consist chiefly in the large head and heavy 

 bill, contrasted with the weak feet and heavy legs. An exotic species, which seems to be strictly 

 congeneric with 0. Wilsonius, is the Charadrius Geoffroyi, Wage., Avhich agrees minutely in all 

 the details of structure, except that the legs are very decidedly longer. There is also considerable 

 similarity in t!ie style of coloration, especially in the winter plumage; but in summer dress, 0. 

 Geoffroyi has a rufous, instead of lilack, jugular band. 



America possesses Ijut a single s|>ecie.s, 0. JJ^ilsunius, the type of the genus. This a2:)pears in 

 the I'orm of two well-marked geographical races, whose characters are as follows : — 



Coii. Char. Above, brownish gray ; forehead and lower parts white. J : Fore-part of the 

 crown, lores, and jugular collar, Ijlack. 9 : The black replaced by brownish gray or light brown- 

 isli, paler on the lores. 



Var. Wilsonius. Sides of the occiput and upper part of nape slightly tinged with bufl'y ochra- 

 ceous. F(>niale with the lores nearly white. Hah. Coasts of South Atlantic (and Gulf?) States. 



^'ar. riifinuchu.s.i Sides of occii)ut and upper part of nape deep rusty. Female Avith lores 

 distinctly brownish gray. Colors generally darker in both sexes. Hah. West Indies (and other 

 tropical coasts?). 



Ochthodromus Wilsonius. 



WILSON'S PLOVER. 



Charadrius Wilsonius, Okd, cd. Wils. IX. 18-25, 77, pi. 73, fig. 5. — Nett. Man. II. 1834, 21.— 

 AuD. Oru. Biog. III. 1835, 73; V. 1839, 577, pi. 28i ; Synop. 1839, 223 ; B. Am. V. 1842, 214, 

 pi. 319. 



JEcjialitts Wilsonius, Boxap. Con.sp. LLst, 1838, 45. — -Coues, Cheek List, 2d ed. 1882, no. 585. 



^(jialitis Wilsonius, Ca.s.s. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 693. — Baird, Cat.N. Am. B.1859, no. 506. — 

 Coues, Key, 1872, 244 ; Check List, 1873, no. 398. 



Ochthodromus Wilsonius, Reich. Syst. Av. 1853, xviii. — Ridgw. Norn. X. Am. B. 1881, no. 522. 



? Charadrius crassirostris, Spix, Av. Bras. II. 1825, 77, pi. 94. 



Hab. Atlantic sea-coast of temperate North America, and of South America to Brazil ; both 

 coasts of Middle America north to Cape St. Lucas ; West Indies ; Northwestern Peru (Taczan. 

 P. Z. S. 1877, 330). 



1 OCUTHODUO.MUS W1L.SOMUS RUFINUCnUS. 



ICharadrius crassirostris, Srix, Av. Bras. II. 1825, 77, pi. 94 (cf. Pelz. Oni. Bras. 1870, 297), 

 JEgialitis Wilsonius, var. rufinuchus, Ridgw. Am. Xat. VIII. Feb. 1874, 109 (Spani.shtowii, 

 .lamaicM). 

 There is now sonic doubt whether the characters originally ascribed to this supposed race are constant. 

 Fn the absence of sufRciPnt material to decide the point, however, we for the jiresent keep it separate. 



