vanellin^. 645 



The Black-sided Lapwing. 



Descr. — Foreliead and superciliary band passing round to the 

 occiput Avhite ; top of the head black ; back of neck and upper 

 plumage generally of an olivaceous brown, tinged with grey ; pri- 

 maries black, secondaries white ; tail white with a subterminal black 

 band wanting in the outermost feather ; a narrow band from 

 the lores through the eyes, black ; sides of head and neck, both in 

 front and on the sides above, pale rufous, passing to brownish on 

 the lower part of the neck, and to brownish-ashy on the breast; 

 middle of the abdomen deep black, bordered posteriorly by deep 

 chesnut ; lower belly, vent, and under tail-coverts white. 



Bill black; irides dark brown; legs dull black. Length 13 

 inches ; wing 8^ ; tail 3^ ; tarsus 2^^ ; bill at front Ij^. The fe- 

 male differs only in her somewhat duller tints. The young have the 

 forehead and eyebrow pale rufous, top of the head and back brown 

 with pale rufous borders, and the abdominal region all white. 



This is a somewhat rare bird, and I have only seen it in 

 Western India, at Jalna in the Deccan, and at Mhow in Central 

 India. It frequents grassy plains in moderate sized flocks, of 

 from eight to twenty, is rather shy, and has a peculiar cry, which 

 however it does not utter frequently. It is a migratory bird, 

 departing early in the year for Central Asia where, according 

 to Pallas, it breeds ; Adams states it to be pretty common 

 during the cold months in fields and wastes near Loodiana ; 

 and Irby records it as exceedingly common on open sandy 

 plains in Oudh and Kumaon, in flocks of from six to fifty. He 

 further states that it flies close to the ground, and when on 

 the wing shows a good deal of white. It is found all through 

 Western Asia and the South-east of Europe, and has been 

 killed in France. 



Another species of this section, from Africa, apparently is Chet 

 tnacrocercus, Heuglin, {crassirostris, Hartlaub). 



The next two birds approximate to each other very closely in 

 plumage, and both frequent the vicinity of water. The white 

 on their wings and tail is of great extent, and both are much 

 paler in their tints than the previous species. One is furnished 

 with a very small lobe of skin near the base of the bill. 



