MICROSARCOPS. 101 



extent toward the outermost feathers, all the feathers tipped with sandy 

 buff; throat and under surface white; lower throat, fore neck, sides of 

 neck, and sides of breast, mottled with dusky blackish centers to the 

 feathers, marking the black pattern of the adults, even the semi-lunar 

 neck-band of the adults being indicated by a broad, crescentic band of 

 sandy buff in the young. 



"Winter plumage of the adult. Above nearly uniform dusky brown, 

 but not showing the tawny rufous margins to feathers of upper surface, 

 the edges being ashy brown; head uniform brown like the back; hind 

 neck and sides of neck ashy, mottled with dusky centers to the feathers; 

 sides of face brown, with more or less white on ear-coverts ; black mark- 

 ings on cheeks and throat as in the breeding bird, but the white semi- 

 lunar band on the sides of the neck replaced by a patch of light brown. 



"The difference between the winter plumage of the adult and the first 

 full plumage of the young birds consists in the sandy buff margins to 

 the feathers of the upper surface, which are very distinct in the latter at 

 first. Afterwards they become abraded, and then there is scarcely any 

 distinguishing mark between the winter plumages of the adult and young. 

 In the spring the red plumage is very rapidly acquired, and I believe 

 that it is gained quite as much by the change in the pattern of the 

 feathers as by a direct molt." (Sharpe.) 



"Often seen in small flocks during the winter months." (Bourns and 

 Worcester MS.) 



Not uncommon on tide-flats in the winter months; it is easily recog- 

 nized by its bright red legs. 



Subfamily 

 Genus MICROSARCOPS Sharpe, 1896. 



A hard round knob at bend of wing; a small fleshy wattle on each 

 side of head at base of bill; bill plover-like with a decided swelling at 

 the tip ; nostril linear in a groove ; wing pointed, first and second prima- 

 ries equal and largest; tarsus long, covered with large hexagonal scales 

 which appear as transverse plates in front; front toes webbed at base; 

 hind toe small. 



89. MICROSARCOPS CINEREUS (Blyth). 

 GRAY-HEADED LAPWING. 



Pluvianus cinerea BLYTH, Jour. As. Soc. Bengal (1842), 11, 587. 

 Microsarcops cinereus SHARPE, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 133; Hand- 



List (1899), 1, 149; GATES, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 9; MCGREGOR, 



Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 295. 



Luzon (Guerrero). Korea and southern Japanese islands to Mongolia and 

 northern China; southern China, Indo-Burmese countries, and north-eastern Bengal 

 in winter. 



