234 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



are one inch and three-sixteenths long by three-quarters of 

 an inch broad ; of a pale stone or dirty white colour, very 

 numerously but minutely speckled with dark brown. 



The sexes are precisely alike in the colouring of their 

 plumage, and nearly so in size. 



Forehead, a stripe commencing at the eye, passing over the 

 ear-coverts and round the back of the neck, and a broad band 

 crossing the chest and advancing somewhat down the centre 

 of the breast black ; a stripe of white passes over each eye 

 and continues round the back of the neck, separating the 

 black band from the crown, which, with the back, the long 

 tertials, and the middle of the wing, are brown ; scapularies 

 deep chestnut ; tips of the greater coverts white, forming an 

 obscure band across the wing ; primaries black ; throat, 

 abdomen, and under tail-coverts white ; two middle tail- 

 feathers brown at the base and black at the tip ; the next 

 three on each side white at the base, gradually passing into 

 blackish brown, and largely tipped with white, the remainder 

 entirely white ; bill rich orange at the base and black at the 

 tip; feet orange flesh-colour in some, in others pale flesh- 

 colour ; irides dark brown ; eyelash bright red. 



The young have a crescentic mark of a lighter colour on 

 the feathers of the upper surface, and have the colouring of 

 the plumage and soft parts less brilliant and well-defined 

 than the adults. 



Genus ^GIALOPHILUS, Gould. 



In accordance with the spirit of minute subdivision which 

 now pervades all branches of natural science, I have for a 

 long time considered that the small Plovers hitherto comprised 

 in the genus ^Egialites, of which the uE. hiaticida is the type, 

 required a further subdivision ; I therefore propose the term 

 above given for the ^. cantianus of Europe, and to associate 

 with it the yE. ri/ficapilltts of Australia. There are many 



