GRALLATORES. 231 



Sp. 507. tEGIALITES HIATICULA. 



Ring-Dottrel. 



Charadrius hiaticula, Linn. Syst. i. 253. 1. 



torquatus, Briss. Orn. 5. 63. 8. t. v. f. 2. 



homeyeri, Brehm. 



I possess an undoubted Australian specimen of tliis com- 

 mon European species. How it wandered that far, or if 

 stragglers frequently visit that distant region, I cannot say. 

 Hitherto the British Islands, the continent of Europe, North 

 Africa, and Persia were considered the extent of its range, but 

 we must now include Australia therein. The specimen above 

 alluded to was killed at Port Stevens ; it is not quite adult, 

 still the markings of the head and breast are sufficiently ap- 

 parent to enable mc to identify it with our own bird. 



Sp. 508. iEGIALITES MONACHA. 



Hooded Dottrel. 



Charadrius monachus, Geoff, in Mus. Paris. — Wagl. Syst. Av., sp. 15. 



cucullatus, VieilL, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., p. 136. 



jEgialitis monachus, Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, part ii, 

 Hiaticula monacha, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., part iii. p. 70. 



Hiaticula monacha, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. vi. pi. 18. 



This elegant species of Ring-Dottrel is universally dispersed 

 over the sea-coasts of the southern parts of Australia, but 

 is perhaps more abundant in Tasmania and the islands in 

 Bass's Straits than elsewhere ; I never observed it far inland, 

 in which respect it differs from the habits of the Common 

 Dottrel of Europe, to which it is so nearly allied. I fre- 

 quently found its two eggs on the shingly beach, in a slight 

 depression hollowed out by the bird for their reception just 

 above high-water mark : these are so similar in appearance 

 to the material upon which they are deposited that they would 

 readily escape the attention of a casual observer ; those I 



