charadrin;e. Go7 



in extent ; the forehead is >Yhite ; the cheek?, tliroat, neck, 

 and middle of breast and abdomen, deep black, edged with 

 white on the sides of the neck, breast, and flanks of abdomen ; 

 lower tail-coverts white ; primaries black, the stem of the first 

 white towards the tip, and the secondaries tipped with white, as 

 are the median coverts ; tail brown, banded with black. Bill and 

 feet deeper black than in winter. 



The young have the colors somewhat as in the winter plumage, 

 but the yellow spots above are less marked, the breast is more 

 dusky gre}^, and they do not become so black the first summer 

 as they do subsequently. Most birds shot early in the season 

 have a good deal of black on the lower plumage, giving them 

 a mottled appearance, and the same in April and May when 

 resuming their summer garb. 



The Golden Plover found in India, at first thought the same 

 as the European, was afterwards identified as the American species, 

 C. virginicus ; more recently it has been considered a distinct 

 species confined to Eastern Asia, and some of the Islands. 

 It is clearly the C. pluvialis apud Pallas, as opposed to C. 

 apricarius, for, he says, smaller than apricarius, but with longer 

 legs. It differs from the European species in its much smaller 

 size, somewhat larger beak, longer legs, with more nude space 

 on the tibia, and having the yellow spots on the lower part of the 

 back more oval. It is now considered to be longipes, Temminck, 

 differing from virginicus in having the axillaries light grey, and 

 in some few other points. I am unable from want of specimens for 

 comparison, to point out in what it differs from its nearest ally, 

 C. fulvus of New Guinea and Australia, 



This Golden Plover occurs throughout India in open plains, 

 grassy downs, ploughed fields, and on the edges of rivers, lakes, 

 &c., associating in flocks of various magnitude, and feeding 

 on beetles and other hard insects, worms, &c. It has a shrill 

 whistling call, and flies very rapidly. Many breed in this 

 country, even towards the south, as at Nellore, but some 

 appear to pass northwards for that purpose, and to return in 

 September. The alteration of colour to black, takes place as 

 well by a partial renewal, as by a change in the feather itself. 



