Presidential Address. 39 



sometimes very markedly so, even to the extent of not being half 

 as large as their mates. Below the line, among back-boneless 

 animals, there is much greater constancy of predominance in 

 favour of the female."^ Here I may .say that the whole question 

 of the superiority of size of the females over the males in certain 

 birds is one which has, to my mind, been inadequately studied. 

 i cannot say that I have examined fresh-killed specimens of all 

 the various species that I shall mention, nor indeed that in many 

 instances my knowledge extends further than what I have read in 

 books. But I have gone through many works on British birds, 

 and have noted with care all that I can glean therefrom as regards 

 the family Charadriidje (Plovers), which subject brings me to the 

 Crux of my paper. We might well expect, then, in the many 

 species which have been grouped together into this one family, 

 that we should find some conformity as to the superiority of one 

 or other of the sexes, as we noted in the Owls and Falcons — but 

 (this is most remarkably not the case. I had hoped at least to be 

 able to tabulate the various species of which the Family Chara- 

 driidre is composed, into separate divisions according to the 

 superiority of either sex in the several species. But even this 

 has been impossible — no two authors that I have consulted 

 agreeing as to whether the male or female were the larger in many 

 species, or as to which undertook the duties of incubation. The 

 result of my investigations, however, has convinced me that in 

 some species Avhat I have described as the natural, or right and 

 iproper rule, is followed; that is to say, that the male is superior 

 to the female, and that she incubates her eggs. As examples, I 

 mention the Lapwing and the Ruff. The males of the Golden 

 Plover and Black-winged Stilt, being superior in plumage but not 

 in size, may be claimed for this class ; but as regards the Dotterel, 

 .there still exists a doubt as to which of the two sexes is the most 

 lomate ; and also as to whether the male does or does not sit on 

 the eggs. In the majority of the species which go to make up 

 the Family, the females would, however, seem superior in size to 

 the males. In many such, incubation is performed by the females, 

 as, for example, the Woodcock, Snipe, Redshank, Curlew, and 

 Oyster-catchers. Again, in many species, the duties of incuba- 

 tion are shared alike by male and female, notably the Turnstone, 

 Purple Sandpiper, Killdeer Plover, and Greenshank, in all which 

 species the female is superior ; and it is stated that the male Grev 



