gralljE. 47 



OEDER VII. GRALLiE ! WADEES. 



Lower portion of tibia^, naked ; tarsi, Icngtlieued aud slender. 



CHAEADEIADiE. Plotees. 



Bill, short; tip, strong and swollen; hind too, citlier absent or small aud tender. 



Chababrius. L. 



Both mandibles grooved, that on the upper one extending for two-thirds of its Icucth • 

 wings, long and pointed, first quill the longest ; hind toe wanting. 

 Spread over the whole world. 



58. Gharadrius fulvus. Oml. 



Eastern Golden Plover. 



Above, blackish-brown, spotted with yellow or yellowish-white ; below, yellowish-white 

 (winter plumage). 



L., 10; W., f.'-75; B., 1-1 ; T., 1-75. 



Sah. — Both Islands ; Australia, Polynesia, Indian Archipelago, Norfolk Island, Siberia, 

 Kamschatka, South Africa. 



59. Gharadrius obscurus. Oml. 



Eed-breasted Plover. Tutfriwatu. 



Above, brown ; below, rufous ; forehead, chin, and vent, white. In the winter the 

 under-parts are pure white, with a band of brown on the breast. 



L., 10 ; W., 6-5; B., 1-4; T., 1-7. 



^fjff- — Brownish-yellow, spotted and blotclied with black ; ovoid ; length l-7,'i • 

 breadth, 1-25. ^ ' ' 



Hah. — Both Islands. 



"^ This fine species, althougli nowhere very plentiful, is dispersed 

 along the whole of our shores, frequenting the ocean-beaches and the 

 sand flats at the mouths of all our tidal rivers. It moreover inhabits 

 the interior, and appears to affect very high altitudes. Dr. Haast has 

 sent me specimens obtained by him far up in the Southern Alps; 

 Mr. Enys states that he has met with it at an elevation of nearly 

 7,000 feet ; and Mr. Buchanan informs me that during his ascent of 

 Mount Egmont, in company with Messrs. Richmond and Hursthouse, 

 he discovered a pair of these birds on the slope of the cone at an 

 elevation of at least 6,000 feet. Mr. Travers assures me that he met 

 with it in small flocks on the Spencer Ranges, in the Province of 

 Nelson, at an elevation above the sea of fully 8,000 feet ! 



''It subsists chiefly on small crustaceans, mollusca, and sand- 

 hoppers, and pursues its prey on foot. When disturbed it rises in 

 the air with a rapid vibration of its wings, and flies in a circle, with 

 an occasional sailing movement, when the wings are motionless and 

 assume the form of a bow." — Buller. 



