CHARADBIID^: HOPLOPTERUS 351 



primaries, which are black, pure white ; upper tail-coverts white ; 

 tail-feathers black on their terminal, white on their basal halves; 

 body beneath, except for the conspicuous black breast, white 

 throughout. 



Iris scarlet, eyelids carmine ; bill black, base violet ; feet rosy- 

 violet, the large tarsal scales black. 



Length 12-0 ; wing 7'5 ; tail 3-25 ; culmen 1-3 ; tarsus 3-15 ; 

 middle toe and claw 2-0. 



Distribution. This Plover is found in South Central Africa from 

 about the southern end of Victoria Nyanza to the Zambesi and 

 Zululand. It has only twice been recorded from within our limits 

 by Holub from the Upper Zambesi and its tributaries near the 

 Victoria Falls, and by Layard, who examined examples obtained 

 by Mr. Fellowes near St. Lucia Lake, in Zululand. 



Habits. This Lapwing has very much longer toes than most of 

 its allies, and is found about the banks of rivers, where it obtains 

 its food among the floating vegetation. It has some resemblance 

 to the Eails and Jacanas, but probably this is only adaptive. 

 Beichenow describes the eggs as pale grey-green, with larger and 

 smaller dark brown markings, both round and linear, and measuring 

 about 1-70 x 1-30. 



Genus V. HOPLOPTERUS. 



Type. 

 Hoplopterus, Bp. Saggio D^str. Met. Anim. Vert., 



p. 56 (1831) H. spinosus. 



Bill moderate, with a distinct apical swelling or dertrum ; nostrils 

 linear, placed in a groove extending two-thirds the length of the bill ; 

 no facial wattles ; a long, sharp, black carpal spur ; wings long and 

 pointed ; first and second primaries longest and subequal ; tarsus 



FIG. 114. Left foot of Hoplopterus armatus. x f . 



long, about twice the length of the middle toe and claw, reticulated 

 before and behind, the scales in front somewhat larger and hexa- 



