164 THE PLOVERS. 



deal, so one might fall in with a flock on the Flats, 

 or about Worlee or Colaba ; but it is not likely. The 

 Ring Plovers, or Sand Plovers, (./Egialitis) have 

 more right to a place in our list, for they are regular 

 shore birds, loving sandy beaches, and they swarm 

 all along the coast in the cold season. On the Espla- 

 nade you will meet them in scores, especially in the 

 morning. I dare say they generally pass for 

 "snippets," but comprehensive as that genus is, it 

 cannot be stretched to take in the Ring Plovers. 

 They are true Plovers, three-toed and swift running, 

 with broad heads, large eyes and stout bills. They 

 live in small parties, running nimbly before you on 

 the sands, or getting up and flying ahead with a swift 

 and sinuous flight, not far above the ground. There 

 are several species of them, which it would be useless 

 to describe separately here. They are all small, 

 sandy-coloured birds, with a dusky collar from which 

 they get their common name. The one which 

 frequents our Esplanade is the Indian Ring Plover 

 (./Egialitis phillipensis). 



In December last year (1899), when the famine 

 inland drove many strange birds to Bombay for a 

 living, a flock of forty or fifty large Plovers appeared 

 on the Esplanade and remained for some weeks. 

 They attracted much attention and were productive 

 of letters in the newspapers. These belonged to the 

 species which Jerdon calls the Black-sided Lapwing 

 (Chettusia gregaria). It is a greyish brown bird, 

 with wings and tail partly white and partly black. It 

 is said to be common in the Punjab and north-west. 



One bird of the Plover connection remains, which, 

 though rather rare in most parts of India, seems to 



