204 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
Breeds during dry weather from April till about August, 
laying four eggs on the bare ground. Their colour is yellowish- 
stone with blotches of deep brown or black, and under markings 
of paler purple-gray. Average size 1°68 by 1°20. 
SARCIOPHORUS MALABARICUS (Blanford, Vol. IV., p. 226). 
LOBIPLUVIA MALABARICA (Legge, p. 966). 
The Yellow-wattled Lapwing. 
Description. —General colour of upper parts, with sides of 
head, neck all round, and upper breast, light brown ; crown 
and nape black bordered below by a white stripe round the 
nape from eye to eye. Chin black ; lower parts from breast 
downwards, with the sides, flanks, and wing lining, white. 
Quills and primary coverts of wing blackish-brown ; the 
primaries white on the inner web near the base ; outer sec- 
ondaries white at the base, the white increasing towards the 
later secondaries, which are wholly white ; secondary coverts 
tipped white. Tail white ; the middle feathers brown on the 
outer half ; the whole crossed by a black band towards the 
tip, the band being broad in the middle, and tending to 
disappear on the outer feathers. 
Young birds have paler bands on the brown upper parts 
and, at first, no black on the head, which becomes more and 
more mottled with black as maturity appreaches. 
Bill yellow at base, black at tip; eyelid and wattle lemon- 
yellow ; iris silver-gray or light yellow ; legs yellow. 
Length 10°5; wing 7°75; tail 3; tarsus 2°4; bill from 
gape 1°25. 
Distribution —Fairly plentiful in the dry coast zone from 
Jaffna to Mannar ; rare on the east, but commoner round 
Hambantota. Resident on dry plains throughout India, 
except in the Western Punjab ; unknown in Burma. 
Habits —Kssentially a bird of dry sandy wastes and parched 
fields. In Ceylon it never goes far inland. The cry is a 
plaintive “ pee-wit.” It breeds in June and July, laying on 
the bare ground four pyriform eggs of buff or pale stone colour 
blotched with dark brown and pale inky-purple. They are 
considerably smaller than those of the last species, averaging 
1°45 by 1:07. - 
“—— 
