EUDROMIAS ASIATICUS. 665 
meet across the chest, and form a collar; tail-feathers all brown, 
the outer pair almost white ; under side of wings, white; upper side 
of quill feathers, very dark brown; bill robust, black, thickened 
towards the point, flesh-coloured at the base; legs (apparently) 
flesh-coloured. Length, 8’; wing, 5’ 9"’; tail, 2”9” ; tarsus, 1" 6”; 
middle toe, 11”. 
Fig. Harting, Ibis, 1870, pl. 11. 
639. Eupromias astaticts (Pall.). Asiatic Dotterel. 
Charadrius asiaticus, Layard, B. 8. Afr., p. 278. 
Mr. Arnott, who first forwarded specimens to us from the neigh- 
bourhood of Colesberg, writes as follows: “Found together in 
flocks of fifteen or twenty, very far away from water. They are 
scarce, and I only see them after showers of rain, which bring out 
small coleoptera and animal life of that sort, on which these birds 
seem to feed, and get enormously fat.”” We have seen specimens 
from the Knysna, and also from Grahamstown. Captain Trevelyan 
informs us that they are migratory near Kingwilliamstown, but 
not uncommon. Majors Butler and Feilden, and Captain Reid 
saw several about the mouth of the Umgeni River, near Durban, 
on the 26th of December, and Mr. Ayres records it from the 
Transvaal. He writes: “One day, as I was trudging down to the 
river to have an afternoon’s fishing, I found four of these Plovers 
on the open flats outside Potchefstroom. They had somewhat the 
appearance of Burchell’s Courser when on the ground, but did not 
run so fast. They ran and then suddenly stopped, with their 
bodies horizontal, ready for flight, and, being much the colour of the 
ground, were not easily seen. They uttered a short ‘chuck’ whilst 
rising. I bagged two at one shot. On a subsequent occasion I saw 
two others, which I did not obtain.” In a male shot on the 19th 
of September the “stomach contained beetles and other insects. 
These Plovers make their appearance in these parts at this season, 
about the time when the first heavy rains fall, and are pretty plenti- 
fully scattered along the valley of the Mooi River, frequenting the 
bare grass-lands, which at this time of the year are all but devoid of 
herbage, in flocks of from six to twenty or more. On rising they 
have much the appearance of Glareola melanoptera, and utter much 
the same short stridulous note of alarm; they run with considerable 
swiftness.” Mr, Andersson observes: “ Small flocks of this Plover 
