SQUATAROLA. 103 



Forehead and crown rufescent or pale orange buff, shading on to the back 

 of head into grey or ashy grey, below which, on the nape, is a small black 

 patch ; supercilium white, extending to and meeting behind the nape, also a 

 black streak from behind the eye ; lores pale white ; chin and throat pale white 

 breast isabelline brown, fading on the abdomen to albescent, and white on the 

 under tail coverts ; back, scapulars, tertials and wing coverts warm rufous 

 buff, brighter on the tail, the outer feathers of which on each side have a 

 subterminal black band on the inner web only ; the others on both webs, 

 and all, except the central tail feathers, broadly tipped white ; primaries 

 black ; secondaries with their outer webs concolorous with the back, the 

 inner web, and subterminally on both webs also black, the edges of the tips 

 white. 



Length.— 10' S to II inches; wing 6'5 to 7; bill black, i'o6in length in 

 front ; irides brown. 



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

 istan, Kutch, Guzerat and Rajputana. Breeds in similar situations as 

 C. coromandelicus from May to July. Eggs broad ovals, slightly compressed 

 towards one end. In colour they are not unlike those of C. coromandelicus. 

 In size they vary from ri to 1-28 in length and from 0'9 to r04 in breadth. 

 Extremely common on bare or open grassy plains. 



Sub-Family, CHARADRIN/E— Plovers. 



Bill slender, straight, flattened at the base, compressed and grooved ; wino-s 

 long and pointed; tarsi moderate, ist quill usually longest ; hind toe small or 

 wanting. 



In India, all the members of the Charadriiicc sub-family are numerous and 

 occur generally associated together in moderately-sized flocks during winter, 

 either near the sea coast, on the banks of large rivers, on mud flats open 

 plains, edges of rivers and lakes, or on grassy downs and ploughed fields 

 Some remain and breed in the country, as some of the ^F.gialifidcc, and all, in 

 smaller or greater numbers, are snared and brought in to the various town and 

 mofussil markets and sold as snipe. During the season they are much sou"-ht 

 after by all classes for their flesh, which is reckoned equally as "-ood as some 

 of the Scolopacidcc. 



Gen. Squatarola.— C?^t'. 



Nasal groove short ; bill bulged at the tip ; a very minute clawed hind toe 

 present. 



129. Squatarola helvetica (Z/;;«.), yerd., B. ind. iii. p. 635, 



No. 144; Dresser, B. Eur. vii. p. 455 ; Salvad., Ucc.Bor/i.p, 313; B/j'//i, B. 

 Biirm. p. 153; Scully, Sir. F. iv. p. 184; Armstrong, Str. F. iv. p. 338 • 

 David et Oust. Ois Chine, p. 424 ; HumeandDav., Str. F. vi. p, 455 j Hume 



