URALLATORES. 230 



defined, wliicli appears to be the full summer or breeding plu- 

 mage. The circumstance of their assembling in large flocks, 

 and evincing a partiality to the green sward rather than to the 

 shingly beach, leads me to assign to this bird a different habit 

 from the more typical members of the genus, and the dark 

 colour and greater length of its tarsi and bill show an approach 

 to the more typical Plovers. It would not surprise me if it 

 should prove that, instead of breeding on the sandy shores, 

 this species resorts for that purpose to inland districts ; a point 

 it would be most interesting to ascertain. Of the numerous 

 specimens I killed at George Town, no two were alike ; con- 

 sequently I am uncertain whether the sexes when adult are 

 similarly marked or not, but, judging from other species of the 

 genus, I presume they are. 



The Double-banded Dottrel runs over the ground with great 

 swiftness ; all in the flock take flight together, and mounting 

 high in the air, which they pass through very quickly, suddenly 

 wheel about, and after flying a mile or two return, and pitch 

 again within a hundred yards of the spot from whence they 

 had arisen. 



In the adult state a broad stripe of white crosses the fore- 

 head, above which the feathers are black, which colour gra- 

 dually passes into the uniform pale brown which covers the 

 whole of the upper surface ; outer webs of the primaries black- 

 ish brown ; inner webs paler ; throat white, surrounded with 

 a narrow line of black, which commences above the upper 

 mandible and continues down the sides of the neck and forms 

 a broad band across the breast ; across and down the centre 

 of the abdomen a broad band of bright chestnut ; the rest of 

 the under surface pure white ; two centre tail-feathers greyish 

 brown, those on each side paler, and the exterior ones white • 

 irides blackish brown ; eyelash scarlet ; bill black, slightly 

 tinged with olive ; feet pale sickly yellowish white ; joints of 

 the knees and toes browner. 



