Papular 29trti0iiarj) of ^mmattfr Mature. 531 



as to show their white sides, and they then 

 dart along witli great rapidity ; but they 

 soon return to their usual posture, and glide 

 along with a sort of undulating motion near 

 the bottom. They are found along the shores 

 of almost all countries ; and are, generally 

 speaking, wholesome and agreeable food. 

 The Sole, Plaice, Turbot, Flounder, &c. are 

 examples of Pleuronectidoe. 



PLEUROTOMA. A genus of Mollusca 

 found in the eastern and tropical seas, and 

 comprising many species, botli recent and 

 fossil. The shell is turreted or fusifor 



generally ribbed or striated transversely ; 

 aperture oval, terminating anteriorly in an 

 elongated canal ; outer lip thin, with a fissure 

 near its union with the spire : operculum 

 small and horny. The species Pleitrotuma 

 gracilis is found on the British shores. Our 

 figure shows the shell and the mouth of 

 another species, the Pleurotoma Babylonica, 

 from which the carnivorous mollusc pro- 

 trudes. 



PLICATULA. A genus of Conchiferous 



Mollusca, found both in a recent and fossil 



! state. The shell is irregularly ovate, in- 



i equivalve, attached by a small part of the 



surface of one valve ; sides strongly and 



transversely grooved ; one valve more convex 



than the other ; hinge with two cardinal 



teeth in each valve and the cartilage placed 



between them. 



PLOTUS. A genus of swimming birds, 

 belonging to the Pttccanidce. Mr. Gould has 

 described the species PLOTUS Nov^E-HoL- 

 LANDI.K as follows: "Male: An arrow- 

 head-shaped mark of white on the throat ; 

 a broad stripe of the same colour commences 

 at the base of the mandibles, extends for 

 about four inches down the sides of the neck, 

 and terminates in a point ; head, neck, and 

 all the upper surface of the body greenish 

 black, stained with brown and with a patch 

 of dee 

 side o 



, sane wt brown and with a patch 

 ep rusty red in the centre of the under 

 f the throat ; under surface deep glossy 



greenish black ; wings and tail shining 

 black : all the coverts with a broad stripe o1 

 dull white, occupying nearly the whole oi 

 the outer and a part of the inner web, and 

 terminating in a point ; scapularies lanceo- 

 late in form, with a similar shaped mark 

 of white down the centre, and with black 

 shafts, the scapular nearest the body being 

 nearly as large as the secondaries, and having 

 the outer web crimped and the inner web 

 with a broad stripe of dull white close to the 

 stem ; the secondaries nearest the body with 

 a similar white stripe on the outer web, close 

 to the stem ; centre tail-feathers strongly 

 and the lateral ones slightly crimped ; orbits 

 naked, fleshy, protuberant, and of a yellow- 

 ish olive, mottled over with brown specks ; 

 irides of three colours, the ring nearest the 

 pupil being dull orange-buff; to this suc- 

 ceeds another of marbled buff and brown, 

 and to this an outer one of orange-buff; 

 naked skin at the base of the lower man- 

 dible wrinkled and yellow ; upper mandible 

 olive, under mandible dull yellow, both be- 

 coming brighter at the base ; feet yellowish 

 flesh-colour, becoming brown on the upper 

 part of the outer toes. Female : Upper sur- 

 face blackish brown, each feather margined 

 with grayish white ; under surface, buffy 

 white. In other respects similar to the male. 

 Total length, 36 inches ; bill, 4 ; wing, 13J ; 

 tail, 9 ; tarsi, 2. Inhabits the rivers of the 

 whole of the southern coast of Australia. 

 [For habits of Plotus, see DARTER.] 



PLOVER. A genus of birds, in many 

 respects allied to the Wader tribes, but ge- 

 nerally partaking of the nature of land birds, 

 and therefore more properly classed with 

 them. Many, as Bewick remarks, breed 

 upon our loftiest mountains, and though 

 they are sometimes seen feeding upon the 

 sea shores, yet they are no more water birds, 

 on that account, than many of our small 

 birds which repair thither for the same pur- 

 pose. They are gregarious, and are gene- 

 rally seen in meadows or on the sea shore, 

 in search of food, which they procure by 

 stirring the earth or mud with their feet, 

 and thus inviting worms and aquatic insects 

 to the surface. They are generically dis- 

 tinguished by a large full eye ; the bill is 

 straight, short, and rather swollen towards 

 the tip ; the head large ; legs naked above 

 the knee ; and most of the species are without 

 the hind toe. 



The RING PLOVER (Charadrius hiaticula, 

 Linn.) is very abundant on the sea-coasts of 

 Great Britain. Its plumage is grayish-brown 

 above, white beneath, with a black or dark 

 brown collar on the lower part of the neck, 

 very broad anteriorly ; the head marked 

 with black and white, and the beak yellow, 

 tipped with black ; orange-coloured legs. 

 It generally breeds on heaths not far from 

 -he coast Another British species is the 

 KEXTISH PLOVER ( Ch. Cantianus), less 

 deeply coloured, with longer and black legs, 

 and a rufous occiput. It is almost always 

 to be seen as a frequenter of shingle-beaches. 



GOLDEN PLOVER. (Charadrius pluvialis.} 

 The length of this bird is about ten inches. 



