228 



VANILLINS. 



VanellllS cristatUS, Meyer; P. E. 242; Gould. JB. Eur. pi. 201 ; 

 Jerd. B. hid. iii. p. 643, No. 851; Str. F. i. 231 ; Murraij, Edbk., Zool., 

 Sfc, Sind., p. 210. — The Crested Lapwing or Peewit^ 



Entix'e head, crest, chin, a line below tlie eye, Lreast and foreneck 

 black, glossed with greenish ; lores, supercilia and behind the eye, also 

 sides and back of the neck, and from the termination of the black breast 

 to the belly, white ; the sides of the bead in' some immature specimens 

 speckled with brown or dusky ; upper tail-coverts pale reddish chestnut ; 

 under tail-coverts slightly paler; back and scapulars olive green, glossed 

 with coppery and jjiirple ; golden green on the lower back and rump ; 

 primaries black, the first three broadly terminated with greyish white; 

 1st quill shortest, third longer than the second or nearly equal ; greater 

 and lesser wing-coverts like the back ; tail white basally, and broadly 

 black terminally, with narrow white tips to all the feathers ; the outer- 

 most feather entirely white, except a dusky spot subtei'minally on the 

 inner web. 



Length. — 12 inches, wing 9, tail 4, tarsus 2; bill black, irides hazel 

 brown, legs orange brown. In winter plumage the chin and throat are 

 white, and there is much brown specklings on the sides of the face and 

 nnpe. The female is like the male in winter plumage, and throughout 

 of a duller tint. 



Ilab. — Sind, Punjab, N. W. Provinces, Beloochistan, Persia, Afghan- 

 istan and E. Turkistan, also Nepaul and Cashmere. It is said to breed 

 in the Punjab. In Sind it is a winter visitant, and is found in open 

 places, marshy ground^ and the banks of canals. 



