BIRDS OF EGYPT. 233 



229. Chettusia GREGARiA (Pall.). Social Plover. 



This species is sparingly scattered throughout Egypt and 

 Nubia. I only fell in with it twice between Girgeh and 

 Sioot, killing one of a pair which I saw on the 9th of March, 

 and one on the following day, out of a flock of eight, lower 

 down the river. 



Forehead, sides of the crown, cheeks, and chin pale buff; 

 top of the head and a streak from the gape through the eye 

 black ; back of the neck, back, scapulars, and wing-coverts 

 stone-grey ; primaries black ; secondaries white ; tail white, 

 with a black mark on the feathers near the end, forming an 

 incomplete bar ; throat and ear-coverts sandy colour, verging 

 into stone-grey on the front of the chest, and shading off to 

 black on the abdomen, which latter terminates posteriorly in 

 rich chestnut ; thighs, vent, and under tail-coverts white ; 

 legs and beak black ; ii-ides dark brown. 



Entire length 12 inches; culmen I'l ; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 8 ; tarsus 2' 2. 



Fig. Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 292. 



230. Chettusia ViLLOTiEi, Audouin *. WJiite-tailed Plover. 



Egypt appears to be the metropolis of this beautiful bird, 

 as it is a resident in the country and very plentiful, being 

 generally distributed in pairs or small flocks round the 



* Although Mr. Sharpe took especitol pains to unravel the intricate 

 synonymy of this bird for the ' Birds of Europe,' and had apparently 

 proved that the name of lettcura should be appHed to the species, he 

 has shown me a letter addressed to him by Count Salvadori, in vrhich he 

 states that in his possession is an older edition of the ' Description de 

 I'Egypt,' bearing the date of 1809, in which Audouiu bestowed the name 

 of ViUoicei, which accordingly stands. 



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