CHARADRIIDjE. 47 



chin and throat white ; tail rather long and graduated ; bill yellow ; 

 terminal half black ; legs yellow ; iris very large and yellow. Length 

 16 inches. 



268. CREAM-COLOURED COURSER. Cursorius gallicus ( J. F. Gmelin). N. Africa, ^ \ 

 An irregular, but not very rare straggler to England ; once to S. Scotland ; Canaries, 



not recorded from Ireland. Persia*' 



General colour sandy buff; primaries and primary-coverts black; Punjab, 

 axillaries black ; bill as long as head, slightly curved ; legs greyish 

 white. Length 9|-10 inches. 



269. GOLDEX PLOYER. Charadrius pluvialis, Linnaeus. Resident. 



Male in spring. Above blackish, spotted with yellow ; chin, throat, / *) 



\ breast, and belly black *. 



Female. Less black below, being mottled with white feathers. 

 In winter. Below white, chest and flanks marked with brown. 

 Axillaries white. Length 9 inches. 



270. ASIATIC GOLDEX PLOVER. Charadrius fulvus, J. F. Gmelin. Siberia to in 



rare or seldom recognized straggler. winter as far 



as New Zea- 

 Axillaries smoky grey ; otherwise as last, but slightly smaller. land. 



271. GREY PLOYER. Squatarola helvetica (Linnaeus). Autumn to 

 spring. 



J) Axillaries Hack ; small hind toe present. 



Li spring. Above white, barred with black ; underparts black, or black 

 marked with white. 



In winter marked much as Golden Plover, but the yellow spots of that 

 species are replaced by white, young birds only being marked with a few 

 yellow spots. Length 10-12 inches. 



272. DOTTEREL. Eudromias morinellas (Linnaeus). Spring to autumn. 

 , Mountains of Cumberland and Westmoreland, and of Scotland ; else- 

 where only on passage in spring and autumn. 



Axillaries greyish. Crown nearly black with white lines below, all 

 round above eyes to bill ; chin and throat white ; upper breast chestnut- 

 red; belly black. 



Females brighter than males. Length 9 inches. / ( 



273. RINGED PLOVER. ^Egialitis hiaticula (Linnaeus). Resident. 



.. Above hair-brown : forehead white ; fore crown black, reaching to 

 I and below eyes on each side, and to base of bill and ear-coverts ; throat 

 white, forming a complete ring, below this a broad black band round 

 breast ; both these collars narrowing to a line round nape ; rest of under- 

 parts white ; eyelids, legs, and feet orange ; basal half of bill yellow, 

 rest black. 



* I have seen birds with black markings beginning to show as early as 7th January, 

 and remaining as late as 20th September. 



