THE GOLDEN PLOVER 213 



under parts are mostly black, with the exception of the tail 

 coverts, which are white. The bill and the legs are black. 

 The female closely resembles the male in her plumage. 

 After the autumn moult, which is commenced in Sep- 

 tember and is usually completed by November, the sides 

 of the face and breast are white, the foreneck coloured 

 with yellow, on which show dusky mottlings. The major 

 coverts are tipped with white. The male is slightly the 

 bigger bird — he is about lOf inches in length, and the 

 extent of his wings are 22| inches. The female is 10| 

 inches long, and her wings are 22 inches from tip to tip. 



