1921.] Birds of North-East Chihli. 2l 



locality I have clutches dated 12th and 80th April, 14th, 

 15th, 18th, and 29th May, aud June. May is, however, the 

 month when eggs are most commonly found. While search- 

 ing for eggs on the 2nd of May, 1915, I saw only empty nests. 

 Tiie birds were numerous that day and were noticed pursuing 

 one another and calling loudly as they flew. The nests are 

 merely depressions among the shingle and contain no lining, 

 a few small pebbles only being found in them. The eggs 

 are buff, rarely pale buff, avid are marked all over with 

 specks aiul short lines of very dark and light brown over 

 underlying grey spots. A few eggs are, in addition, scantily 

 marked with large spots of blackish brown. One egg out 

 of a series of 39 has the ground-colour white with a tinge of 

 grey. Another from the same series has a cap of uniform 

 dull brown, overlaid with the usual markings, and the apical 

 half has a coat of dark buff, only a ring of the true buff 

 ground-colour showing between the two. The eggs are 

 without gloss. The most general shape is a pyriform-ovate, 

 but pyriform eggs are common, an ovate sometimes occurs, 

 and the apex is often much pinched in. Thirty-nine eggs 

 range from 1"25 in. to I'lO in. in length and from 0'92 in. 

 to 0"83 in. in width, the largest being 1*25 x 0*89 in. and 

 the smallest 1-12 x 0-83 in. They average 1-17 x 0*87 in. 



216. ^gialitis alexandrina (L.). 



j^gialitis cantianus D. & O. p. 430; La T. p. 580. 



The Kentish Plover is common in spring on the mud 

 flats and shores of tidal creeks. It passes again in 

 September. 



217. HsBmatopus osculans Swinhoe. 



Hcematojnis osculans D. & O. p. 432 ; La T. p. 580. 



The Chinese Oystercatcher is not commonly seen in the 

 vicinity of Chinwangtao. I saw one flying over on the 

 20th of May, 1911, another was reported as having been 

 shot in March 1912, and two were seen by the collectors 

 on the 22nd of May, 1913. 



