^"'I'.w,'^] Hai.l, The EastcYH Palccayciica and Australia. (^J 



It does not niif^rati' to Australia. E. vercdus docs so, principally 

 from Manchuria. /:. [Pcltohyas] australis nests in Australia. This 

 is practically the same genus as our Ochthodromus (Map IV.), and 

 the female is the most beautiful of the Plover-like birds. It docs 

 not incul)ate its eggs, as with a Phalarope breeding here and our 

 Collared Plain-Wanderer {Excalf actor ia) in Australia. I found it 

 breeding on the highland and snow foreground shown in photo- 

 graph. 



Mgialitis hiaticida (the Ringed Dottrel) of Europe and Asia, 

 which I shot in the mouth of the Lena, has been found in Australia. 

 Three species nest in Australia, while this one breeds in the Polar 

 sub- region. 



Cryinophiliis fidicarius (the Grey Phalarope) is circumpolar. 

 On the specimens collected Dr. Hartert remarks a case of di- 

 morphism. The female is the liandsome bird, courts the male, 

 and leaves the incubation to him. It visits New Zealand. The 

 Red-necked Phalarope [P. hypoboreiis) comes to New Guinea. 



The Ruff {Pavoncella piignax), with his mate, the Reeve, were 

 observed by myself in the Lena delta. The Reeve builds, 

 incubates, and rears the young. The Ruff is polygamous. 



The Lesser Golden Plover [Charadriiis dominicus) has a most 

 interesting course of migration in the Pacific. The American 

 Golden Plover, nesting within a hundred miles, keeps, in tens of 

 thousands, its own American migratory course to the Argentine. 



The Snipe I collected nesting at Yarkutsk is said at Tring to be 

 the common European Snipe {Gallinago gallinago), and remark- 

 able that it should be found breeding so far north-east. This 

 species is also found wintering in the Philippines. A Snipe that is 

 similar, but larger, is G. australis (both with i6 tail feathers), and 

 which passes through the Philippines to breed in Manchuria. 

 G. megala has 20 rectrices, nests in eastern Siberia, and passes 

 through the Philippines and the Moluccas to winter about Port 

 Darwin, N.T. (Map V.) The Philippines is an interesting meeting- 

 place on the way. 



Australia has two genera of Stone-Plovers {(Edicneinidcc), each 

 of a single species, one — Biirhimis — being well distributed over 

 the continent. The nearest species to it is in Burma, and it is 

 distributed through Palaearctica directly across country to 

 England. It does not seem to occur in eastern Palaearctica. The 

 second genus {Esaciis) is found in North-Western Australia up to 

 the Phihppines, while the only other known species ((E. rccitrvi- 

 rostris) (Map XI.) joins at Burma. There is no hind toe to this 

 non-migratory family. This second genus is closely related to 

 Vanellns of the eastern Palsearctic, which, in its turn, is more 

 closely related to Lobivanellits, the Spur-winged or Lobed Plovers 

 of Australia and Palaearctica. 



The incoming of birds to Arctic Siberia is described by Seebohm 

 in "Nests and Eggs" (A. J. Campbell), p. 807. In August I 

 found a new movement of the birds was setting in. The Redpolls 

 {Acanthias), in a collecting broken line of growing length, were 



7 



