220 CHARADRIIDA 
LITTLE RINGED PLOVER. 4 gialitis curonica (J. F. Gmelin). 
Coloured Figures.—Gould, ‘ Birds of Great Britain,’ vol. iv, pl. 
42; Dresser, ‘ Birds of Europe,’ vol. vii, pl. 524; Lilford 
‘Coloured Figures,’ vol. v, pl. 11. 
The Little Ringed Plover has a wide distribution over 
the European Continent, including countries not far off our 
shores, viz., Belgium, Holland, and France. Yet it is 
remarkable that this bird is an extremely rare visitor to 
our Isles, there being few authenticated instances of its 
capture on British soil. A careful examination, aided by 
the field-glass, should be made of the flocks of Ringed 
Plovers which frequent our shores and lakes, especially of 
those collected to migrate. Among these there is always 
a chance of finding rare species, perhaps the Little Ringed 
Plover. 
Except for the difference in size, the two species are 
difficult to identify on the strand, as their markings are 
very similar. When flying, however, the common bird can 
be recognised by its conspicuous white wing-bar. 
The Little Ringed Plover has been obtained at Shore- 
ham in Sussex ; in Chichester Harbour, in May; at Tresco 
in the Scilly Isles, on October 28rd, 1863: on Kingsbury 
Reservoir in Middlesex, in August, 1864; and at Freshwater 
in the Isle of Wight, in August (Saunders, ‘Manual of 
British Birds,’ 2nd Edition, p. 541). 
DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 
PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial.—Forehead, white, with 
a black patch above it ; rest of head, brown; cheeks, black ; 
chin, throat, neck, breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts, 
pure white, interrupted by a black collar round the bottom 
of the neck; back, scapulars, and wings, ash-brown ; 
primaries, dusky-brown,! the outer ones being banded with 
a broad white mark; tail, brownish, the marginal feathers 
tipped with white, the outermost nearly all white. 
Adult female nuptial——The markings are less defined 
and the black and white head-bands are narrower than 
those of the male. 
Adult winter, male and female.—Similar to the nup- 
' Not patched with white like those of the common species. 
