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FAMILY CHARADRIN^. 



PLOVERS. 



GENUS CHARADRIUS — LINN. 



PLOVER 



[Bill short, strong, straight — about the length of the head, which is rather 

 large and pronninent in front — eyes large — body full — neck short, and rather 

 thick — wings long — tail rounded, of moderate length — toes connected at the 

 base, hind toe wanting, or furnished in its place with a small knob.J 



CHARADRIUS HELVETICUS— LINN. 

 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. 



Black-bellied Plover, Charadrius helveticus, Wils. Amer. Oin. 



Charadrius helveticu?, Bonap. Syn. 



Grey Lapwing, Vanellus melanogaster. Sw. & Rich. 



Black-heliied or Swiss Plover, Nutl. Man. 



Black-bellied Plover, Charadrius helveticus, Aud. Orn. Biog. 



Specific Character — Bill stout, along the gap one inch and five- 

 sixteenths, length of tarsi one inch and five-eighths. Adult male 

 with the bill black, strong, shorter than the head ; cheeks, loral 

 space, throat, fore neck, breast, v/ith a large portion of the abdo- 

 men black ; hind part of the abdomen and flanks white ; forehead, 

 with a broad band passing down the sides of the neck and breast, 

 white; crown, occiput, and hind neck grayish-white, spotted with 

 dusky ; upper parts blackish-brown, the feathers broadly tipped 

 with white ; eye encircled with white ; t.xil and upper tail coverts 

 white, barred with blackj^the former tipped with white j lower 



