BIRDS—CHARADRIDAE—AEGIALITIS. 691 
southern regions, and visiting also other continents. It has been found occasionally in Europe, 
and bears a very strong resemblance to a species of that continent, Charadrius pluvialis ; in fact, 
so close is the similarity that the color of the axillary feathers is the most ready distinction for 
recognition, white, in C. pluvialis ; ashy, C. virginicus. 
This species varies somewhat in the colors of its plumage, and it is rare to meet with speci- 
mens, in the middle or southern States of this republic, in the full plumage of the nuptial season 
or with the under parts pure black, though frequently spotted, and showing a tendency to that 
color. It is of common occurrence throughout the United States. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. | Sex. | Locality. When col- Whence obtained. Collected by— | Length.] Stretch | Wing. Remarks. 
No. | lected. of wings. 
| 
1183 fol | Carlisle, Perini... ces Oct... (3).1843i ‘Si. Baird...sceseces 
Sept. 23, 1842 |....01dO..ercvcccecees 
s[eeeees OO iisisices'|venacalOvsiccne 
Sept. 24, 1844 ects 
April 21... N. W. University.... 
JUNEILG carcrea a John Gould.......... 
5425 | 5 | 15 miles below Ft. Pierre)... ..ss cesses 
5427 |eveces JON GDIee Kt cactcaatnesiacecsa|eelnine ececcenes 
5426 |......| Fort Berthold, Neb.... | Sept. 16, 1856 
4551 |......| Fort Pierre, Neb....... Oct. 21, 1855 
6579 | ..000- St. Mary’s Mission, | Oct. 1, 1853 
Rocky mountains, 
6580 |...... we 0ceeedOnesacccevccess|soccesdOrrccee|ecvves dO vscccces 
DOSE eats sae Indianola, Texas. ...... Capt. Pope .. 
4180 |...... Tamaulipas, Mexico....|....seeeee +e..| Lieut. Couch 
slate. 
1834| ¢ (Indid.s.seeeeeeeeeeeees SHE SBaird ss a0e¢es)|selvctene cones sce si|eseumans|siewaress-|aaceutees| «se <aieiele aepleseaintesiasacsis 
1853 |. .000. IRAN CG erataa>ns sin'e s(a'eleisioi|/e.sis,e.ecisle.aieieieies, |e'eie'arsie (OS sae ninv'i5i0;0915\0:00|||n10 oie 0101 0:nia1s(e\a'slare! | tisigie)sis's's | eels sisiele.s'|isie-cieysisiaie eee eccencccece cece cece oees 
AEGIALITIS, Boie. 
Alegialitis, Bore, Isis, 1822, 558. Type Charadrius hiaticula, L. 
Megialites, Kaur, 1829. 
Cu.—Plumage more or less uniform, without spots. Neck and head generally with dark bands. Front of the legs with 
plates arranged vertically, of which there are two or three in a transverse series. 
This genus, as far as North America is concerned, is distinguished from Charadrius by the 
generally lighter color and greater uniformity of the plumage ; by the absence of continuous 
black on the belly, and by the presence of dusky bands on the neck or head ; the size is smaller. 
The tarsi, in most species, have the front plates larger and conspicuously different in this respect 
from the posterior ones. 
