174 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



rump and upper tail-coverts pure white, as well as the basal 

 two-thirds of the tail, which is tipped with white, before which 

 is a broad band of black, gradually diminishing in size towards 

 the outer feathers, and entirely disappearing on the two outer- 

 most rectrices, which are entirely white; wing-coverts light 

 brown, a little darker than the back, the greater series white, 

 with brown bases; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills 

 black, the secondaries pure white, the innermost light ashy- 

 brown like the back; forehead and a broad superciliary band en- 

 circling the nape, creamy-white ; crown of head and nape black ; 

 lores and a streak behind the eye black ; below the eye a line 

 of white ; cheeks and ear-coverts pale isabelline-brown, extend- 

 ing on to the sides of the neck and round the hind-neck, as well 

 as over the throat; lower-throat, fore-neck, and breast dark ashy- 

 brown or stone-grey ; lower breast and abdomen black, with a 

 patch of chestnut on the lower abdomen ; lower flanks, thighs, 

 under tail-coverts, under wing-coverts, and axillaries pure white ; 

 primaries black below ; bill and feet black ; iris dark brown. 

 Total length, 12 inches; culmen, 1-3; wing, 8'o; tail, 3-5; 

 tarsus, 2-35. 



Adult Female, Does not differ from the male in plumage. 

 Total length, 12 inches; culmen, 1*25; wing, 7-8; tail, 3-4; 

 tarsus, 2-35. 



Young. Differs from the adults in being rather darker brown, 

 and in having sandy margins to the feathers of the upper sur- 

 face ; the head brown like the back ; lores white ; under sur- 

 face of body white, with no black on the breast or red on 

 the abdomen, and the chest mottled with black edgings to the 

 feathers or with heart-shaped spots in the centre of the latter; bill 

 black ; feet black, very faintly tinged with lake in many speci- 

 mens, though this colour is scarcely observable; iris blackish 

 or very dark brown. 



Kange in Great Britain. This species has only occurred once, 

 as far as is known, within our limits. The history of the speci- 

 men in question is given by Mr. Howard Saunders as follows : 

 "In the autumn of the year 1860, or thereabouts, an imma- 

 ture example of this south-eastern species was shot from 

 among a flock of Lapwings near St. Michael's-on-Wyre in 

 Lancashire, and having been subsequently placed in a case 



