LESSER GOLDEN PLOVER. 163 
The young of this species can always be distinguished by its black or blackish 
axillaries from the Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricarius) which have white axil- 
laries, and from the Asiatic Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominicus fulvus)—which have 
the axillaries dusky-brown—by being smaller. 
Nestling—Upper-parts greenish-yellow, mixed with black, or dark brown and 
buff, with a white nuchal collar; under-surface silky-white. 
Nest.—A depression in the earth lined with dry leaves and lichen. 
Hggs.—Clutch, four ; ground-colour yellowish-grey to brownish-yellow, covered 
with dark brown spots ; axis 48 to 56 mm., diameter 36. 
Breeding-season.— June and July. 
Distribution and forms.—Breeding all round the Arctic Circle and migrating 
southward in winter to Australia, etc. The birds breeding in eastern Siberia and 
visiting Australia constitute a recognisable race, S.s. hypomelus (Pallas) in their 
larger size throughout, the bill stouter, and also in winter-plumage paler. 
Genus PLUVIALIS., 
Pluvialis Brisson, Ornith., Vol. I., p. 46, Vol. V., p. 42, 1760. Type (by tautonymy): 
Pluvialis = Charadrius apricarius Linné. 
Structurally like Squatarola, but with the hind-toe and claw missing. The 
bill is not quite so stout, and one of the species is less strongly built, but still 
considerably larger than the Ring- and Sand-Plovers. 
The close connection between this and the preceding genus is easily traced 
by their general coloration, notwithstanding the absence of the hind-toe. In 
Squatarola the summer-plumage is mottled black-and-white above with the under- 
surface black: in the present genus the summer-plumage is mottled black-and- 
golden above with the under-surface black, but in the former genus the immature 
has the upper-surface showing a mottled black-and-golden appearance. No other 
Plovers, save the three included in the two genera Squatarola and Pluvialis, have 
the upper-surface mottled, nor have they uniform black under-surfaces. 
113. Pluvialis dominicus.w—LESSER GOLDEN PLOVER, 
(Charadrius dominicus P. L. S. Miiller, Vollst. Natursyst. Suppl., p. 116, pref. Jan. 4th, 1776: 
St. Domingo, America. Extra-limital.]} 
Gould, Vol. VI., pl. 13 (pt. xxx1.), June Ist, 1848. Mathews, Vol. III., pt. 1, pl. 133, April 
2nd, 1913. 
Charadrius fulvus Gmelin, Syst. Nat., Vol. I., pt. 1., p. 687, April 20th, 1789: Tahiti. 
Charadrius griseus Latham, Index Ornith., Suppl. p. uxvit., 1801, after May: New South 
Wales, based on Watling drawing No. 245. 
Charadrius taitensis Lesson, Dict. Sci. Nat. (Levrault), Vol. XLII., p. 35, Sept. 23rd, 1826: 
Tahiti. 
Charadrius xanthocheilus Wagler, Syst. Av. Charadr., sp. 36, p. (68), Oct. 1827: Australia. 
Charadrius glaucopus Wagler, Isis, 1829, heft 6, col. 649, June (ex Forster MS.) : Tahiti. 
Charadrius pluvialis orientalis Temminck und Schlegel, Fauna Japonica (Siebold), p. 104, 
1849: Japan. 
Charadrius auratus longipes Schlegel, Vogel von Nederl., p. 411, 1854: East Asia. 
DIsTRIBUTION.—Winter visitor to Australia, breeding in the northern hemisphere. 
Adult male in breeding-plumage.—Crown. of head, entire back, and scapulars 
black, thickly spangled with golden-buff, becoming paler and inclining to brown 
and white on the upper wing-coverts ; greater coverts brown, edged with white ; 
bastard-wing brown, small coverts on the margin of the wing dark brown tipped 
with white like the primary-coverts ; primary-quills dark brown, paler on the inner 
webs, and white on a portion of the shafts towards the tip ; secondaries brown, white 
M 2 
