LETM5 



RACES OF THE RIXGED PLOVER. 



To the Editorft of British Birds. 



Sirs, — In the last Additions and Corrections to the Hand-List, the 

 authors state (antea, p. 8) that the distribution and therefore the 

 nomenclature of the races of Ringed Plover are not clear, and further 

 investigation is needed. A paper by Herr Lehn Schioler (Dansh 

 Ornith. Foren. T^dss., II. and III., March 1915, pp. 161-181) has 

 evidently escaped their notice. In it the author goes very fully into 

 the question and has had a veiy large material at hand. He shows 

 good argviments for considering that the restricted tjrpe-locality for 

 the typical race should be middle and south Sweden. According 

 to his investigations, he considers Dr. Lowe was in error when he 

 stated "that C. h. major is a larger bird in every respect" than 

 Ch. h. hiaticola, and shows that major and hiaticola are of the same size 

 but differ in colour, and it is the north-easterly form than which major 

 is larger. To make it quite clear I give Herr Schioler's conclusions. 



{Translation.) 



" 1. The typical, /Egialitis h. hiaticula L., with an average 

 " wing length of 131 mm. for males and 132 mm. for females ; 

 " colour of upper parts brown-grey ; orbital margin strongly 

 " marked, whereby the shape of the head is arched and 

 " roundish. 



" It breeds in mid and south Sweden, Denmark, south 

 " coast of Norway and north coast of Germany. 



" 2. The north-eastern, ^-Egialitis h. intermedia Men6tries, 

 "with an average wing measurement of about 124-125 mm. ; 

 " colour of the upper parts as in the typical form but the whole 

 " bird is small, its bill and legs are weaker, and as the orbital 

 " margin is not so well marked, the head seems less arched. 



" It breeds in north Sweden, Kola, N. Russia and the arctic 

 " coast of Siberia, east to the Tschuki Peninsula. (From the 

 " last-named locality pre.sumably originated the specimens 

 "from Australia recorded by Gould [Palmen].) 



" 3. The English, jEgialitis h. major Seebohm, which in 

 " size is c(uite like the typical form, and resembles it in the 

 " shape of the head. If differs in the pale grey — not brown- 

 " grey — colour on the upper parts. 



" It breeds in the British Islands and possibly on the coasts 

 " of Holland, Belgium and west France. 



" 4. The Icelandic — to which probably should be joined 

 " the Greenlandic — rEgialitis h. septentrional is Brehm ; it 

 " stands in size between the typical and the north-easterly 

 " forms : it resembles these forms in the appearance of the 



