GOLDEN PLOVER. 103 



Young. — The young are at first covered with a greyish 

 down, of which the tips are yellow. When fledged they are 

 brownish-black, spotted with bright yellow above, and in 

 other respects scarcely different from the adult birds in their 

 winter dress. 



Remarks. — Many of the older writers, observant, not of 

 living birds, but of stuffed skins, considered the Golden 

 Plover in its summer vesture quite a different species from 

 itself in its winter coat ; but, as this and other mistakes of a 

 like nature have been clearly exposed by M. Temminck and 

 other writers, it is unnecessary to lay much stress upon them 

 here. The above description is entirely original, my oppor- 

 tunities of examining and observing the species having been 

 excellent. On referring to various writers, I find nothing of 

 any importance to add, excepting what refers to the distri- 

 bution of the species. 



On the continent it is said to extend in summer from 

 Lapland to the southern parts of Europe, and in winter is 

 abundant in the latter. It is also found in various parts of 

 Asia, among others in Northern India ; and, it is said, in 

 the South Sea Islands. I have a specimen from Norway in 

 summer plumage, the black of the breast blacker and more 

 continuous than I have seen it in any British individuals. 



The obstinacy with which people adhere to exploded 

 errors is really surprising. M. Lesson, in his ill-digested, 

 but yet useful, Manuel cV Ornithologie, informs us that the 

 " Pluvier dore a gorge noire, Charadrius apricarius, Gm., is 

 considered as a distinct species by some ornithologists, and 

 as the Golden Plover in its nuptial plumage, according to 

 some others, and particularly M. Temminck, who describes 

 it as the adult age of Charadrius pluvialis. What would 

 lead one to think that this Plover really forms a distinct 

 species is, that of the thousands of individuals which I have 

 seen in Saintonge, where the Golden Plovers are very 

 common, I have never met with a single individual that had 

 the plumage of the Apricarius." 



