-EGIALIIIS. 



375 



distiiif^uished from each other. A set of four in the Australian Museum Collection, taken by 

 Mr. James Ramsay at Tydnarie, New South Wales, measures :—Len-th (A) 1-67 x 1-22 inches; 

 (B) 272 X r-23 inches; (C) 175 x 1-25 inches; (D) 1-58 x i-i8 inches. A set of four taken' 

 by Mr. Thos. P. Austin on the 2,Sth September, lyoS, measures :— Length (A) 1-63 x 1-29 

 inches; (B) i-rtj x 1-23 inches; (C) 1-58 x 1-24 inches; (D) 1-65 x i'26 inches. A set of four 

 taken at Cobborah Station, Coblwra, on the i6th October, 1909, and which is here reproduced 

 from a photograph taken by me at the nesting-place, measures :— Length (A) 17 x 1-27 inches; 

 (B) r6i X 127 inches; (C) 1-65 x i-2(jinches; (D) 1-63 x 1-26 inches. 



A young one caught on the 12th October, 1909, during my stay on Cobborah Station, 

 was covered with pale brown down on all of the upper parts of the body, the base of the down 

 black, .i^iving it a mottled appearance, forehead and crown of the head like the back ; lores and 

 down above the eye with a rufous wash ; a crescent-shaped marking on the nape black; sides 

 of the forehead pale rufous; down below the eye, on the cheeks and all the under surface pure 

 white ; ear-coverts and a patch on each side of the fore-neck blackish-brown ; long down on the 

 outer sides of the thighs and under tail-coverts tinged with fulvous ; tips of pin-feathers of inner 

 secondaries and scapulars fulvous; bill olive-brown, the under mandible paler; legs and feet 

 olive-grey ; iris dull greenish-yellow. Total length in the Mesh 5-5 inches, wing 2 inches. 



Immature birds resemble the adults, 

 "^ but may be distmguished by having 

 the feathers of the crown of the head 

 and nape dark brown, narrowly edged 

 at their tips with pale brown; hind- 

 neck very pale brown, with conspicuous 

 dull whitish bases to all the feathers; 

 back, lesser and median upper wing- 

 coverts and innermost secondaries 

 brown, mottled oredged with yellowish- 

 bull, some of the feathers having darker 

 brown centres, and the apical portion 

 of the larger innermost secondaries 

 alternately barred with dark-brown and 

 pale yellowish-buff; base of forehead 

 dull whitish; cheeks, ear-coverts, sides 

 of the neck, lore-neck and upper breast dark brown mstead of black, most of the feathers bein- 

 narrowly edged with pale buffy-brown. The wing-measurement, yi. inches, exceeds that o'f 

 some adult birds. 



July to the end of November constitutes the usual breedmg season, but after rain nests may 

 be found with eggs or young throughout the autumn and early winter months. 



NESTIN(M»LACB AND VJSISfi OK BLACK-ISKKASTKD PLOVKU. 



-^Cgialitis ruficapilla. 



RED-CAPPED DOT'J'EREI,. 

 Chani.lTiii^ ruJicapiUus, Temni., PI. Col., Vol. I., pi. 47, tig. 2. 

 Hiatinila rujicapilJa, GoukI, Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. VL, pi. 17 (18tS). 

 .Eyialophiln., rujicapillm, Gould, Handbk. Bd.?. Austr., Vol. II., p. 23.") (18(55). 



.Egialitis rn/kapiUa, Sharpe, Cat. Bd.s. Brit. Mus., Vol. XXIV., p 286 {I89fi) ; id., Hand-1 

 Bds., Vol. I., p. 155 (1899). 



