330 THE COMPLETE WILDFOWLER 



black band on the forehead ; the chest band is brown con- 

 colorous with the upper parts. The legs olive yellow. 



LITTLE RINGED PLOVER 



jEgialitis minor ( Wolf and Meyer) 



This species breeds in Scandinavia and throughout Europe, 

 being rather scarcer in the West. To our shores it is only a 

 very irregular spring and autumn migrant, not more than half 

 a dozen authenticated instances being known. 



The plumage of the adult closely resembles that of the 

 ringed plover, but this bird is rather smaller in size, and can 

 readily be distinguished by having the shafts of the quills all 

 dusky with the exception of the outer one, which is white. 

 The bill also is narrower and longer in proportion and wholly 

 black. Length about 6 in. ; wing 4*5 in. 



KENTISH PLOVER 



^gialophilus cantianus {^Latham) 

 The present species, unlike the Ringed Plover, is one of 

 our rarest shore-birds and is only a summer visitor. It cannot 

 be seen unless a special journey is made to that lonely stretch 

 of shore which is its only home in these islands. In its mode 

 of life it is almost the counterpart of the Ringed Plover, but is 

 a true migrant, arriving in April and leaving in September. 

 The note is a short monosyllabic whistle and quite distinct 

 from that of the preceding species. 



It is a smaller bird than the Ringed Plover, which it other- 

 wise resembles, except that the dark band across the chest is 

 broken in the centre. Female and young resemble the male, 

 but the band on forehead and chest is brown instead of black, 

 and of the same colour as the upper parts. Length about 

 6 in. ; wing 4*25 in. 



