Mr. S, Bligh on Baza ceylonensis. 419 



but differs from it in having the crop rusty brown (instead 

 of vinous chocolate), and in having the crown dark brown 

 (instead of black), with the rusty brown of the forehead pro- 

 longed into a stripe over each eye. 



The genus Sarciophorus, like Lobivanellus, has wattles in 

 front of the eye, but has been separated on account of its 

 members having only three toes ; the hallux, or hind toe, being 

 entirely absent. The type, S. tectus, like the present species, 

 has no spur on the wing. 



The genus Sarciophorus comprises four species : — 



1. S. tectus, from N.E, Africa and Senegambia. 



2. S. superciliosus, Cameroons and Lake Tanganyika. 



3. S. malabarica, India. 



4. S. pectoralis, Australia. 



S, superciliosus, when adult, may be readily distinguished 

 from all other Plovers by its pale, rufous-shaded forehead, 

 its black crown, and chocolate-coloured crop. 



At all ages it may be diagnosed from every other species 

 of the group by its combination of four characters — small 

 wattle, red legs, no hind toe, and white outer tail-feathers. 



XLII. — NotQ on Baza ceylonensis. By Samuel Bligh, 

 of Catton, Coslanda, Ceylon. (Communicated by J. H. 



GURNEY.) 



Towards the end of April I was delighted to find that a pair 

 of Baza ceylonensis liad taken up their quarters in a piece of 

 old forest of about five or six acres left on this estate, near 

 my bungalow, where the old trees have been thinned out, but a 

 few giants are left, and these they particularly haunted. 

 I would not molest the birds, in the hope they might nest, but 

 they only stayed two or three weeks. Their sailing high in 

 the air over the trees and playing in the air was a treat to 

 see; and their peculiar tumbling, like that of a Tumbler 

 Pigeon, was especially pretty, though the male only seemed 

 to do this. He would first rise, with a few laboured flaps of 

 the wings, almost perpendicularly, perhaps at an angle of 70° 



2g 2 



