THE BIRDS OF NORTHERN THAILAND 121 



This species was found chiefly on the sand bars of the Mae Ping, 

 less commonly at wet places in the fields, and was usually in company 

 with the little ringed plover. The stomach of one of my birds con- 

 tained tiny snails. 



Three females had the irides dark brown; the bill black with the 

 base of the mandible dusky flesh ; the feet fleshy plumbeous (2 birds) 

 or bluish plumbeous ( 1 bird) ; the "knees" and toes slaty ; the claws 

 black. 



As seen in our provinces, this species has the forehead, short eyebrow, 

 incomplete nuchal collar, underparts, and three outer pairs of rectrices 

 white; the upperparts and an incomplete breast band ashy brown. 

 It can be confused only with the little ringed plover, from which it 

 may always be known by the heavy bill without yellow at the base, 

 the plumbeous feet, and the broken breast band. 



Six examples from northwestern Thailand are, somewhat hesitantty, 

 placed with alexandrinus. The heaviest bill in my series can be 

 matched by a bird from England, but, on the other hand, all my 

 specimens are immature; adults would doubtless fall somewhere 

 between alexandrinus and nihonensis. 



CHARADRIUS PLACIDUS J. E. Gray and G. B. Gray 



Long-billed Ringed Plover 



Charadrius placidus J. E. and G. R. Gray, Catalogue of . . . Mammalia and birds 



of Nepal and Thibet . . . British Museum, ed. 2, 1863, pp. 70-71 (Nepal). 

 AEgialites placida, Gyldenstolpe, Journ. Nat. Hist. Soc. Siam, 1915, p. 235 



(listed). 

 AEgialitis placida, Gyldenstolpe, Ibis, 1920, p. 757 (Khun Tan). 

 Charadrius placidus, de Schatjensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1929, 



p. 585 (Chiang Mai). — Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1931, 



p. 171 (Chiang Mai) ; 1936, p. 82 (Chiang Mai). 



Only two examples of this plover are known from Thailand: An 

 unsexed, undated specimen in Stockholm, taken by Eisenhofer at Khun 

 Tan, and a female collected at Chiang Mai by de Schauensee, December 

 22, 1928. 



I was with de Schauensee when his bird was taken and recall that it 

 was found on a sand bar of the Mae Ping above Chiang Mai among a 

 considerable number of Jerdon's ringed plover, in contrast with which 

 its superior size was immediately apparent. During my subsequent 

 winters in Thailand I looked for this bird without success. 



De Schauensee notes that his specimen had the irides dark brown; 

 the bill black ; the feet and toes fleshy yellow ; the claws black. 



This species is considerably larger than any other ringed plover 

 known from our provinces and normally would be seen under con- 

 ditions that permit direct comparison of size. From alexandrinus it 

 may be known also by its yellowish feet and unbroken breast band. 



