ZONIFKR. 271 



nest in January as a rule, and lay usually four eg«s. On one occasion my brother found five." 

 From Broken Hill, South-western New South Wales, he also sent me the following notes : — 

 " My last meeting with Lolnviviclliis miles was on Escape River Island, where in company with 

 ])r. Dobhyn I came across a large HocU feeding in the heathy country, on the weather side of 

 the island, and later a few pairs on the shore of a large fresh water lagoon on this same island, 

 preventing by their watchfulness our getting a near view of a Jabiru ( Xcnnfliyuclins ashilinis) 

 and a small flock of Royal Spoonbills ( Platnlea i'c<iia)." 



From Melbourne, \'ictoria, Mr. G. A. Keartland wrote me: — " In North-western Australia 

 and easterly to Queensland the Masked Plover (Lohivniu-lliis imla) is found at nearly every 

 swamp. Their habits are precisely similar to those of the Spur-winged Plover, but their eggs 

 are much lighter in the ground colour." 



The eggs are usually four in number for a sitting, oval or rounded-oval in form, the shell 

 being close-grained, the surface smooth and slightly lustrous. They vary in ground colour from 

 a yellowish-stone to a pale brown, more or less tinged with olive, and are freckled, spotted, 

 streaked or blotched with different shades of olive and blackish-brown scattered over the shell, 

 with which are intermingled a few, but siinilar underlying markings of dull bluish or inky-grey. 

 A set of two taken on the 8th March, 1897, from the margin of a swamp, about five miles from 

 the junction of the Fitzroy and Margaret Rivers, North-western Australia, measure : — Length 

 (A) 1-68 X 1-3 inches; (B) 1-63 x 1-31 inches. Two eggs in Mr. G. A. Keartland's collection, 

 received from Dr. W. Macgillivray, and taken on Leilavale Station, Cloncurry District, Northern 

 Queensland, measures : — Length (A) 1-79 x 1-3 inches; (B) r8 x 1-31 inches. 



In Northern Queensland, Dr. \V. Macgillivray informs me the Masked Plover lays at the 

 connnencement of the rainy season in January or February. In North-western Australia Mr. 

 G. A. Keartland obtained eggs that were taken early in March. 



Sub-family CHARADRIIN^. 



C3en-as zonsrii^Eis, shai-i,e. 

 Zonifer tricolor. 



HLA0K-1;KE AS'l'KD I'L( )VI':K. 

 Charadrius (ricoJor, Vieill., Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. Tom. X.XVII., p. 147 (1818). 



Harciophorus pixtoralin, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. VI., pi. 11 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., 

 Vol. II., p. 222 (1865). 



Zonifer tricolor, Sliarpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. XXIV., p. 154 (It^JG); id., lIand-1. Bds., Vol. 

 L, p. 150 (1899). 



Adult M.\LE. — (reneral colour a/iore hron^u fflossed tvith. purplf, pali-r 011 llic. hind-neck, and 

 the pii.rple more prononuced 011, the upper iving-coverls and long inuerinost secondaries, (he lesser and 

 median npper wing-coverts like the back, the latter siibniargiHaUi/ hatred with black an.d tipped with 

 tvh ite, the greater coverts irh ite ; primaries black, the oiiter secondaries irhite ivith a black spot about the 

 middle of the outer web, the median ones fohite with a black mark about the middle of the onter web 

 and a brown mark on the inner web, the latter slightly washed with glossy purple ; the long innermost 

 secondaries like the back ; centre of lower back and rump dusky broivn ; sides of rump and upper 

 tail-corerts white ; basal two-t/iirds of tail-feathers white, the remainder black tipped ivith tvliite, except 

 the central jiair ; forehead, crown of the head and nape black ; a broad line behind (he eye while; 

 chin, cheeks, atid throat white, separated froui (lie irhite line behind the eye by a black band extending 



