RINGED PLOVER. 497 



with white, forming a continuous bar of that colour, which 

 is conspicuous when the bird is on the wing ; the primaries 

 almost black, the distal portion of each quill-shaft white ; 

 upper tail- co verts and the base of the tail-feathers hair- 

 brown, passing into greyish black towards the end, the 

 middle pair the longest, the next four on each side tipped 

 with white ; the outer feather on each side entirely white ; 

 chin and throat white ; across the neck a broad collar of 

 black ; breast, belly, vent, and under tail-coverts, white ; 

 under wing-coverts and the axillary plume white ; legs and 

 toes orange ; the claws black. 



The whole length of the adult bird is seven inches and 

 three-quarters. From the carpal joint to the end of the 

 wing, five inches and a half : the wings pointed in shape ; 

 the first quill-feather the longest. 



Adult females in summer have the black bands and collar 

 narrower than in the males, and the colours not quite so 

 decided ; both sexes in winter have the black and the 

 white less pure in colour. 



Young birds of the year have the beak almost entirely 

 black : they have no black band over the white one on the 

 forehead ; the lore, ear-coverts, and the collar round the 

 lower part of the neck are only dusky brown ; legs and toes 

 pale yellow. 



VOL. II. K K 



