or little-known Limicolse. 205 



considered E. veredus (Gould, P. Z. S. 1848, p. 38) to be iden- 

 tical with E. asiaticus (Pallas), have added C. xanthochilus, 

 Wagler, as a synonym. Others, treating the two former as 

 distinct, have referred Wagler's description to Mr. Gould's 

 veredus. The former view has been supported by Mr. Blyth 

 (Ibis, 1865, p. 34) J the latter has been adopted by Mr. G. R. 

 Gray* [ut supra) and by Bonaparte (Compt. Rend. 1856, p. 417). 

 Professor Schlegel (Mus. P.-B. Cursores, p. 50) considers C. 

 xanthochilus, Wagler, to be identical with the Asiatic Golden 

 Plover, the C. orientalis of the ' Fauna Japonica.^ In this view 

 Mr. Gould formerly concurred ; but in his ' Handbook to the 

 Birds of Australia' (ii. p. 226), he says that upon a reconsidera- 

 tion of the subject he finds it impossible to determine to what 

 species the name of xanthochilus was assigned. 



Under these circumstances it becomes a matter of some little 

 interest and importance to identify the bird described by Wagler. 

 Turning to his description, I find the words "Corpore supra 

 fusco, pluma quavis «Mr(?o-^az;o-marginata, subtus albo, nisi 

 pectore obscure fuscescente." Now these characters cannot 

 apply to either E. asiaticus or E. veredus ; for neither of these 

 birds at any age have the feathers on the upper portions of the 

 plumage margined with golden-yellow. But the words above 

 quoted, as it seems to me, are an accurate description of one of 

 the Golden Plovers in winter plumage ; and I have no doubt that 

 the opinion formerly expressed by Mr. Gould and shared in by 

 Prof. Schlegel (as quoted) is correct, and that Wagler's bird is the 

 Charadrius orientalis of the * Fauna Japonica,' to which species, 

 however, the older names C.fulvus, Gmelinf, and C. longipes, 

 Temm., belong. Under these circumstances, C. xanthochilus, 

 Wagler, should be expunged from the list of synonyms of both 

 E. asiaticus and E. veredus. 



* It is but fair to state that this opinion was formed in 1844, when the 

 British Museum was not so rich in ornithological specimens as at present. 

 From a more recent investigation of a larger series, Mr. Gray now informa 

 me that he considers C. xanthochilus, Wagler, to be distinct from E. vere- 

 dus, and synonymous with C. fiilvus of Latham and Gmelin, which, it 

 will be seen later, is the Asiatic Golden Plover. 



t Concerning this species also very different opinions have been ex- 

 pressed. 



N. S. VOL. VI. Q 



