Charadrius virginiacus at Malta. 41 
Tunis are well known to the readers of the ‘Annals.’ In this 
letter he mentions having procured at Malta “a little golden 
plover, which, on comparing with C. pluvialis, I find quite di- 
stinct, being only the size of C. morinellus, and much longer in 
the tarsus. It was shot in company with another of the same 
species in March 1845. They are occasionally observed in Malta 
every second or third year, generally early im spring, and have 
never been noticed in company with C. pluvialis, but generally 
solitary or in pairs. They have not been observed with black on 
the breast. ‘The man who shot it forms me that he has fre- 
quently killed them, and that he can immediately recognise 
them by the note, which is peculiar, differing from that of C. plu- 
vialis, and more resembling that of C. hiaticula.” 
Capt. Drummond has subsequently been in England, and 
showed a specimen of this bird to Mr. Yarrell, who ascertained 
it to be the Charadrius virginiacus. 
This species possesses a far more extensive geographical dis- 
tribution than the better-known Charadrius pluvialis. The latter 
occurs throughout Europe, and is recorded as far east as Trebi- 
zond and Siberia. But C. virginiacus not only frequents the 
whole of North and South America, but extends over the Poly- 
nesian Islands to the Malay Archipelago and India, as well as to 
Australia and New Zealand*. We have now evidence of its 
visiting Malta for a short time early in spring, a fact which clearly 
proves that it must winter in Africa, and, occasionally at least, pass 
the summer in some part of Europe, though it has never yet been 
obtained in either of these contments. This has probably been 
owing to the resemblance of its plumage to that of C. pluvialis, 
which bird is recorded by Malherbe in his ‘ Faune Ornitholo- 
gique de la Sicile, by Schembri in his ‘ Catalogo Ornitologico 
del Gruppo di Malta,’ and by Von der Mile in his ‘ Beitrage 
zur Ornithologie Griechenlands,’ but without any indication of 
their having noticed the C. virginiacus. 
The distinctions between C. pluvialis and C. virginiacus are 
numerous, and are carefully pomted out by Sir W. Jardine in 
his edition of ‘ Wilson’s American Ornithology,’ vol. i. p. 362, 
It will therefore suffice to mention here that C. virginiacus is 
rather smaller than C. pluvialis, has rather longer tarsi, and has 
the under wing-covers and axillary feathers of a gray brown, 
while in C. pluvialis they are pure white. 
* The Australian C. xanthocheilus of Jardine’s ‘ Illustrations of Orni- 
thology,’ plate 85, and of Gould’s ‘ Birds of Australia,’ vol. vi. plate 13, 
is certainly identical with C. virginiacus. The true C. wanthocheilus of 
Wagler inhabits New Zealand (in company with C. virginiacus); and, ac- 
cording to Mr. Gray’s Catalogue, there are three specimens of it in the 
British Museum from Van Diemen’s Land, though it seems to be omitted 
by Mr. Gould. 
