90 



CHAEADRIID^;. 



Family IV. CHARADRIIDiE. 



Palate schizognathous. 



Nostrils schizorhinal. 



Basipterygoid processes present. 



Dorsal vertebrae opisthoccelous. 



Spinal feather-tract forked on the upper back. 



Toes webbed or unwebbed. 



Hind toe present in some, absent in others. 



Tarsus usually reticulated, but sometimes scutellated. 



Nest a slight structure of grass, or none at all. 



Eggs generally four in number, pear-shaped : of various colours p 

 usually of a clay-brown ground-colour, with numerous blotches, 

 spots, and lines of black. 



Nestling covered with thick down of various patterns and colours,, 

 and able to run in a few hours. 



Key to the Suhfamilies. 



a. Toes not laterally scalloped ; no serrated 

 edge to the planta tarsi. 

 a'. Nasal groove not extended beyond half 

 the length of the culmen ; tarsus reti- 

 culated on the hinder aspect. 

 a". No dertruni or marked swelling of 

 the bill at the tips of the mandibles 

 a". Tarsus transversely scaled in 

 front, reticulated on its hinder 

 aspect ; toes without any con- 

 necting-web 1. ARENARIINJE, p. 91. 



b'". Tarsus reticulated on both front 

 and hinder aspect ; the angle 

 of the genys situated far back 

 near the base of the bill, its 

 distance from the tip of the 

 lower mandible being twice as 

 great as the distance from the 

 angle to the base of the man- [p. 105. 



dible 2. HALMATOPODIXM, 



b". Bill with the dertrum always more 

 or less conspicuous. 

 c'". Tarsus transversely scaled in [p. 122.. 



front, but reticulated behind. . 3. LOBIVANELL1NA?, 

 d'". Tarsus reticulated, or with hexa- 

 gonal scales both in front and [p. 145. 



behind 4. CHARADRIINjE, 



e"'. Tarsus transversely scaled both [p. 307. 



in front and behind 5. PELTOHYA TINsE, 



c". With no dertrum at all ; the bill 

 straight or curved upwards : feet 



extremely long when outstretched, [p. 309. 



far exceeding the tail 6. HIMANTOPODINJE,. 



