Notes on some Waders. 529 



Wing about 109-115, exceptionally as long as 123 mm. 

 Bill generally 16-17*5 mm. 



This form is resident in south China, Hainan, Formosa, 

 the Riukiu (Loo-Choo) Islands, and Japan, at least as far 

 north as Yokohama, where in winter C. a. alexandrinus 

 occurs as well. In the British Museum is a specimen from 

 Amherst in Burma; also a female from Zaidam in central 

 Asia belongs to this race. 



Sharpe (Cat. B. Brit. j\Ius. xxiv. p. 279) refused to 

 recognise this form, because some Chinese birds had as dark 

 legs as European ones, but he overlooked the one dis- 

 tinguishing character, i.e., the huge bill, and apparently also 

 the fact that C. a. alexandrinus migrates in winter into the 

 area of C. a. dealbatus. 



3. Charadrius alexandrinus seebohmi, noui. no v. 

 Charadrius cantianus minutus (nee Charadrius minutus 



Pallas, 1827 I) Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadriidae, p. 169 

 (1887 — " Southern shores of the Red Sea, and island of 

 Ceylon"). 



Considerably smaller than C. a. alexandrinus and C. a. 

 dealbatus. Wing only 101-105, bill 12-13-5 mm. Un- 

 fortunately Seebohm^s name is antedated by Pallas' Chara- 

 drius minutus, and we therefore propose a new name for 

 the smallest race of the Kentish Plover, the type-specimen 

 being an adult male in the Tring Museum from Aripo in 

 north Ceylon, collected March 4, 1869_, by E. Holdsworth. 



The distribution of this race is not yet clear to us. It is 

 resident in Ceylon, where it nests. Besides Ceylonese birds, 

 some from Massaua (Red Sea) and Somaliland in the 

 British Museum undoubtedly belong to the small race. A 

 female from Sokotra, considered by Sharpe to belong to it 

 (Cat, B. Brit. Mus. xxiv. p. 282), appears to be doubtful 

 (wing 108), and we do not admit the west African specimen 

 to be of this race. 



4. Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus (Cass.). 



jEgialitis nivosus Cassin, Baird's B. N. America, p. 696 

 (1858— California). 



