792 NESTS A.VD EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



Nest and Eggs. — Uudescnbed. 



Observations. — Regarding tliis species Hemy Seebohm mentions that 

 its white belly distinguishes it from either of its allies-^the Common 

 Dottrel (C. iuo?'iiienus ) and the Oriental (or Lesser) Golden Plover— 

 in summer or breeding phunage ; but at all ages and seasons its small, 

 Courser-like feet are the best character. 



Gilbert procured his Australian example in the Port Darwin district. 

 A second skin was sent to Gould from Sydney, while others have since 

 been obtained in various parts of Australia. The eggs, however, are 

 not in any collection ; but it is known tliat the bird breeds in Mongolia. 



The following highly interesting note I received from Mr. Tom Carter, 

 Western Australia : — '' In the heat wave, as 1 was boating round the 

 Point (Cloates) for two days (30th and 31st December, 1895), coimtless 

 numbers of Asiatic (Oiiental) Dottrels were coming from sea-wards, i.e., 

 from west and north-west. The beach was lined with birds resting 

 themselves. Strong north-east winds blew in the morning, and from 

 the north in the afternoon. I never saw such a migi'ation of these birds 

 before. It onlv lasted for tlu'ce or four davs." 



608. — OcHTHODBOMUS GEOFFROYi, Wagler.— (511) 

 LARGE SAND DOTTREL. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vi., pi. 19 (large figure). 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxiv., p. 217. 



Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Seebohm : Ibis, p. 154 (1879) ; Legge : 



Birds of Cevlon, p. 942 (1880); Harting : Proc. Zool. Soc, 



p. 355 (1882). 



dtograiihical Dlsfrihiifnii. — West and North-west Australia, Nor- 

 thern Ten-itory and North Queensland, migi'ating to breed, it is 

 supposed, in Hainan^ Formosa and Japan. 



Nest. — Undescribed. 



Eggs.- — Clutch — ; oval in .shape, or slightly more compressed at 

 one end ; texture, of shell fine ; siu'face glossy ; coloiu% yeUowish-stone, 

 heavily blotched with sepia, almost black. Not unlike those of the 

 Painted Snipe ( lihynchcea uiistralis). Dimensions in inches of an 

 example collected by Mr. R. Swinhoe in Fomiosa: r36 x '95. Accor- 

 ding to Colonel Legge the mcn.surcmcnls va.rj' from 1'37 lo l-27x 

 1-05 X 1-0. 



Observations. — The Large Sand Dottrel is said to be exclusively a 

 sea coast species, and, according to Henry Seebohm, although it enjoys 

 a very wide range in winter, its summer or breeding ^quarters are some- 

 what doubtful. It occiu-s througliout the siunmer, apparently in full 

 breeding plumage, on the coasts of Japan, Formosa, and Hainan, and 



