118 CHARADRIUS HIATICULA. 



from it so as to encircle the upper part of the neck, together 

 with the breast, sides, abdomen, and lower tail and wing- 

 coverts, all pure white. A broad transverse band over the 

 white of the forehead, a line margining the upper mandible, 

 and proceeding, broader, along the lore under the eye to the 

 ear, and a belt round the lower neck, much broader in front, 

 are brownish-black, the feathers slightly edged with grey. 

 The top of the head, the occiput, a small portion of the 

 upper hind-neck, the back, and the wings are greyish-brown. 

 The quills are dark greyish-brown, of a deep tint toward 

 the end. A bar of white extends across the wing, including 

 the shafts, near the end, of the outer primaries, increasing 

 on the rest, and on the secondaries, so as to occupy the 

 whole length of two of them, and returning outwards along 

 the tips of the quills, but evanescent on the primaries. The 

 tips of the secondary coverts are also Avhite, as are those of 

 the primary coverts, but more narrowly. The inner secon- 

 daries are greyish-broAvn. The tail-feathers are pale greyish- 

 brown, becoming dark brown toward the end, the whole of 

 the outer two feathers, the outer margin of the next two, 

 and the tips of all, white. 



Length to end of tail 8^ inches ; extent of wings 17£ ; 

 wing from flexure 5 X 4 2 ; tail 2j 8 2 ; bill along the ridge x 7 . 2 , 

 along the edge of lower mandible , 8 2 ; tarsus 1 ; inner toe , fi 2 ; 

 its claw ; 2 2 ; middle toe ^ , its claw ^ ; inner toe ^ , its 

 claw jV 



Female. — The female is similar to the male, with the 

 following slight differences : — The white band across the 

 forehead is tinged with brown, the dark band above it, and 

 that along the cheek, are greyish-brown, as is the fore part 

 of the dusky collar. 



Length to end of tail 8i- inches; extent of wings IT; 

 tarsus 1 ; middle toe and claw 1. 



Variations. — Slight differences as to size and colouring 

 are observed. The shafts of all the primaries are sometimes 

 white, unless at the end. The outer tail-feather sometimes 

 has a dusky spot near the tip ; the next has more frequently 

 a patch of the same. 



