THE OOLOGISTS' RECORD. 



Edited by KENNETH L. SKINNER. 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



Vol. II— No. 1.] [March 1, 1922. 



NOTES ON THE BREEDING HABITS OF SOUTH AFRICAN 

 SANDPLOVERS. 



By H. W. James. 



Only three species of the genus Charadrius are known to breed 

 in Cape Colony : these are C. tricollaris, Vieill, C. varius, Vieill, 

 and C. marginatus, Vieill. C. tricollaris is the commonest of the 

 three, and is abundant everywhere withthe exception of the seashore, 

 where it is rarely seen, but inland I do not suppose there is a 

 single river pool, dam or any inland piece of water without a few 

 of this plover. Most of the South African rivers are dry for the 

 best part of the year, with exception of pools here and there, and 

 it is on these pools that C. tricollaris is most abundant, for there 

 it finds a plentiful supply of the aquatic insects that form its 

 food. 



The reverse is the case with C. varius, this plover being more 

 abundant at the coast than it is inland where, as far as my observa- 

 tions go, it is very local in its distribution. I found it very abundant 

 on Bird Island, Algoa Bay. Its haunts inland are confined to dams 

 and pans ; the pools in the rivers, so much favoured by C. tricollaris, 

 being entirely avoided by the present species. This is the only 

 one of the three species that congregates into small flocks when 

 not breeding, and these flocks are often met with feeding at a 

 considerable distance from water. 



C. marginatus I have never met with anywhere but on the 

 seashore, although Layard states that it is met with on inland water. 

 If it does occur inland it must be very rare. Although plentiful 

 all along the mainland of Algoa Bay, I did not meet with a single 

 specimen on Bird Island. 



My observations on the breeding habits of the three species are 

 detailed below : — 



C. marginatus — White-fronted Sandplover. — The nest of this 

 species is generally placed on the beach just beyond high- water 



