390 Capt. Beavan on various Indian Birds. 



Lallroo, November 14, 1866. Length 12; wing 8-125; 

 tail 3'75; tarsus 2*5; spread foot 1*5; bill, from front 1*125, 

 from gape 1*3125 ; extent 27"75. This specimen agrees with Dr. 

 Jerdon^s description of the species, except in the following par- 

 ticulars : — The head, instead of being " black,^' is ashy-grey 

 with dark spots ; the sides of the head and neck, instead of 

 being "pale rufous," are ashy with a slight fulvous tinge; 

 there is no " black " or " chesnut " at all on the abdomen, 

 which, on the contrary, from the breast downwards, is pure 

 white. Bill and legs black, and irides deep reddish brown. 



853. CniETUsiA leucura. White-tailed Lapwing. 



A specimen now in Colonel Tytler's collection was procured 

 by the late Dr. Scott at Babyn, near Umballah, in 1866; and 

 he told me he did not think the figure of this species given in 

 ' The Ibis' for 1865 (pi. x.) was a very good representation of 

 the Indian bird. 



855. LoBiVANELLUs GOENsis. Eed-wattlcd Lapwing. 

 Found abundant in the Maunbhoom district in 1864, and at 



Julpigoorie, in the Rungpore district of Lower Bengal, and gene- 

 rally almost everywhere in India. It is the " Tee-tee-du " of 

 the Burmese ; and of it a friend tells me : — " The Lapwing, in 

 Burmese legends is one of the four animals which distress them- 

 selves unnecessarily. It is said to sleep on its back with its 

 feet in the air, to prevent the sky from falling on the earth ! 

 The other three animals are the monkey, the Crane, and the 

 earthworm. The monkey going to sleep in a tree comes down 

 frequently (literally three times) during the night to feel if the 

 earth is still in its place; the earthworm is so much afraid 

 of devouring the whole earth that he spits it out again in the 

 form of 'worm-casts'; and the Crane is so afraid of causing an 

 earthquake when walking that he always treads very gingerly, as 

 if stepping on eggs.'' This is a free translation made from a 

 Burmese work, which at the least has the merit of showing that 

 the Burmese must be a very observant people to notice the little 

 everyday occurrences in nature which are here caricatured. 



856. Sarciophorus bilobus. Yellow-wattled Lapwing. 

 Procured in Maunbhoom in 1864, where it is rare, and again 



