PLOVESS. 861 



Mr. Newton has described and figured the egg in the 

 "Proceedings of the Zoological Society," 1861, and his 

 figure, in the main, agrees with Morris's, but the egg is con- 

 siderably smaller. This I rather wonder at. It was taken 

 by Middendorff on the Taimyr river, North Russia, 74, 1 st 

 July, 1843, and is also doubtless a genuine egg. As Mr. 

 Newton observes, the egg greatly resembles in character that 

 of the lapwing and dotterel, but is much larger. The speci- 

 mens in my cabinet were procured from Greenland, and I 

 have every reason to believe in their authenticity. They 

 are fully as large as Morris's figure, and have more the 

 character of the eggs of the golden plover, than of the 

 dotterel. 



Gen. Vanellusj Briss. 



Beak as the last ; nostrils pierced through ; legs high 

 wings round ; third feather longest ; long crest on the back 

 of the head. 



174. VANELLUS CEISTATQS, Mey. Toffsvipa. The Peewit. 

 D. F. 



Male usually larger than female ; length 12 in ; under 

 wing coverts black in male ; grey in female ; back and 

 scapulars olive green ; crown, fore part of neck, and 

 breast greenish black ; a black crest of feathers, 4 in. 

 long, on the back of the head ; belly white ; under tail 

 coverts orange ; tail white, with black tip. 



Is very common in the south of Sweden during the 

 summer ; comes sparingly up as far as Wermland, and goes 

 up certainly as far as Upland. I am not certain that three 

 is not the full number of eggs as often as four. Any how, I 

 have taken both three and four closely sat upon. 



Gen. Strepsilas, 111. 



Beak quite as long as the head, conical ; nostrils pierced 

 through ; legs short ; front toes cloven to the root ; hind toe 

 placed high ; wings long, pointed ; first feather longest. 



