KENTISH PLOVER. 501 



continued over the eye and a little beyond.it over the ear- 

 coverts; above the white on the forehead is a patch of 

 black, which extends only to the edge of the white, not to 

 the eye-lid : top of the head and the occiput rich reddish 

 brown ; from the base of the beak to the eye a black 

 streak ; ear-coverts also black ; nape of the neck white ; 

 back, scapulars, wing-coverts, tertials, upper tail-coverts, 

 and the base of the tail-feathers ash-brown or light hair- 

 brown ; the wing-primaries dusky black ; the distal part of 

 the shafts of the quill-feathers white ; the two middle tail- 

 feathers the longest, and dusky black at the end ; the two 

 outer tail-feathers on each side wholly white ; chin, cheeks, 

 sides of the neck and the throat, pure white; just in 

 advance of the carpal joint, or point of the wing, on each 

 side, is a patch of black, not continued round the front ; 

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

 wing-coverts and axillary plume white ; legs, toes, and 

 claws, like the beak, black at all ages. 



The whole length is almost seven inches. From the 

 carpal joint to the end of the wing, four inches and one 

 quarter : the wing pointed ; the first quill-feather the 

 longest. 



In the adult female the dark colour on the head and neck 

 is less decidedly black, and occupies a smaller surface. 



Young birds of the year have no black colour above the 

 white on the forehead ; and the lore, as well as the ear- 

 coverts and the patch in front of the bend of the wing, are 

 dusky brown ; the beak, legs, and toes, black. 



The illustration represents an adult male killed in sum- 

 mer, and a young bird of the year killed in autumn. 



