284 CHARADEITD.13. 



by dusky. Total length C - 5 inches, culinen (>75,wing 4-4, tail 2*1, 

 tarsus 1. 



Nestling. Uniform light isabelline-grey, white below. 



It must be noted that Capt. Savile Reid has marked a bird from 

 Durban as a " female " which agrees exactly in colour with the 

 male. If this view be correct, the bird described above as the adult 

 female is probably the winter plumage of the species. 



JE. mechowi of Cabanis I believe to be the bird in full breeding- 

 plumage, which would account for the brighter coloration of the 

 neck and breast. I find considerable variation in the breadth of 

 the black baud on the crown, and the birds which I take to be in 

 winter plumage are more uniformly grey above, and lack the sandy- 

 rufous colour of the upper parts, this colour accompanying the 

 rufescent colour of the breast, and being apparently a sign of 

 breeding-plumage. The birds from Cape Town are all in the greyer 

 dress, as also is the bird from Walvisch Bay ; all the others have 

 the colour of ^S. mechowi. 



The black loral lino, which is a specific character in some of the 

 Sand-Plovers, seems to be a sign of summer plumage only in others. 

 The present species apparently loses it entirely in tho winter, and 

 the specimen from Walvisch Bay is in nearly full summer plumage, 

 but still retains the white lores. 



In the absence of an examination of the type specimen, I agree 

 with Mr. Seebohm that Mr. Ridgway's ^E. albidipectus is this 

 species. 



Hah. South Africa, from the Cape Colony to Natal, north to 

 Damara-land and possibly Angola. 



a, b. Ad. et pull. South Africa. Sir A. Smith [C.]. 

 sk. 



c. Ad. sk. South Africa. Dr. Krauss [C.]. 



d, e. S ad. sk. Cape Town (E. L. Layard). Seebohm Coll. 

 /. Ad. sk. Cape Town (E. L. Layard). Tweeddale Coll. 

 g. Ad. sk. George, Knysna ( T. C. Tweeddale Coll. 



Atmore). 



h, i. Ad. sk. East London, June (C. Major Trevelvnn 



Neivby). [P.]- 



h, I. cT 2 ad. sk. Durban, Natal, An?. 25 Shelley Coll. 



(Capt. Savile Reid). 

 m, n. $ ; o. 2 ad. Walvisch Bav, Damara-land, Tweeddale and See- 



sk. Oct. (C. J. A.), bohm Colls. 



7. .ffigialitis pallida. 



Iliaticula sp., Gray, List Grail. Brit. Mas. p. 69 (1844: River 

 Niger) *. 



Charadrius pallidus, Strickl. Contr. Orn. 1852, p. 158 (Damara- 

 land) ; Salvin, Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 598 (1882) *. 



* There is a synonym, " H. heywoodi, Thompson," of which the Museum is 

 Bupposed to have the type specimen, which is quoted by Hartlaub and others, 

 and even by Gray himself in the ' Hand-list.' The reference given by these 

 authors is incorrect, and I have been unable to find the place where the name is 

 published. 



