270 CHARADRIIDiE. 



ear-coverts also black ; nape of the neck white ; back, 

 scapulars, wing-coverts, tertials, upper tail-coverts, and the 

 base of the tail-feathers ash-brown or light hair-brown ; the 

 wing-primaries dusky black ; the distal part of the shafts of 

 the quill-feathers white ; the two middle tail-feathers the 

 longest, and dusky black at the end ; the two outer tail- 

 feathers on each side wholly white ; chin, cheeks, sides of 

 the neck and the throat, pure white ; just in advance of the 

 carpal joint, or point of the wing, on each side, is a patch of 

 black, not continued round the front ; the breast, belly, vent, 

 and under tail-coverts white ; under wing-coverts and axillary 

 plume white ; legs, toes, and claws dark slate-colour. 



The whole length is almost seven inches. From the 

 carpal joint to the end of the wing, four inches and one- 

 quarter : the wing pointed ; the first quill-feather the 

 longest. 



In the adult female the dark colour on the head and neck 

 is less decidedly black, and occupies a smaller surface. 



Young birds of the year have no black colour above the 

 white on the forehead ; and the lore, as well as the ear- 

 coverts and the patch in front of the bend of the wing are 

 dusky-brown ; the beak, legs, and toes, black. The young 

 in down may be distinguished from those of the Ringed 

 Plover by their more rufous tint. 



The illustration represents an adult male killed in summer, 

 and a young bird of the year killed in autumn . 



