244 GRALLATORES. CHARADRIUS. PLOVER- 



lume of his " General Synopsis," from three specimens sent 

 to him by Mr BOYS of Sandwich, of which one was killed in 

 May 1787, the others in April 1791. Since that time we 

 have other instances of its capture, amongst which may be 

 particularly noticed two young birds of the year, killed up- 

 on the Norfolk coast in 1827, and recorded by WILLIAM 

 YARRELL, Esq. in the third volume of the Zoological Jour- 

 nal, where he has, with his accustomed perspicuity, minute- 

 ly pointed out the characters that distinguish the present 

 species at this age from the young of Charadrius Hiaticula. 

 Of this latter MONTAGU was inclined to consider it only a 

 variety, as may be gathered from the contents of his paper, 

 published in the seventh volume of the Linnean Transac- 

 tions, and afterwards transcribed into the Supplement to the 

 Ornithological Dictionary, under the head of " Ringed 

 Plover." Such an opinion, however, I feel confident, could 

 only have arisen from his never having seen a specimen of 

 the Kentish Plover, as, upon examination and comparison 

 with C. Hiaticula^ so accurate an observer and intelligent a 

 naturalist must have been at once convinced that they were, 

 though nearly allied, yet perfectly distinct species *. As to 

 the Charadrius Alexandrinus of authors, which was also 

 considered by him to be C. Hiaticula in its adolescent state, 

 from being unable to refer it to any other species within his 

 knowledge, I agree with TEMMINCK and WAGLER, that it 

 ought to be expunged from the list of birds, being merely a 

 nominal species, founded upon citations from other authors ; 

 and referring not only to the present bird, but also to Cha- 

 radrius minor of TEMMINCK (Char. Curonicus of LATHAM'S 

 Index, Ornith.), another species of Ringed Plover, very si- 

 milar in its markings, but inferior in size to C. Hiaticula ; 



* On referring to Dr RENNIE'S late edition of MONTAGU'S Dictionary, 

 I was surprised to find that the Kentish Plover is considered bj him also as 

 " a variety of the Ringed Plover." I must therefore suppose that he also 

 has never seen the former bird, or at least had the opportunity of compa- 

 ring it with the latter. 



