SA.BCOGBAMM17S. 225 



Ibis, 1889, p. 170 ; Oates, in Humes N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 340; 

 Skarpe, Yark, Mus., Aves, p. 139. 

 Sarcogrammus indicus, Sharpc, Cat. B. M. xxiv, p. 149. 



Titiri, H., also Titaf, Titi, Tituri in various parts ; Titavi, Mahr.; 

 Yennapa Chitawa, Tel. ; Al-kati, Tain. ; Kiralla, Kibulla, Cing. " Did- 

 you-do-it " of Anglo-Indians. 



Fig. 51. Head of 8. indicus. f . 



Coloration. Head, neck, and upper breast- black, except a broad 

 white band from each eye, including the ear-coverts and passing 

 down the side of the neck to join the white of the lower parts ; 

 this band expands below, and the black of the hind neck becomes 

 narrow where it joins on to the light brown, glossed with green 

 bronze and slightly washed with red, of the back, scapulars, and 

 tertiaries ; lower back darker and duller ; wiug-coverts like the 

 back but strongly washed with glossy lilac-red ; ends of greater 

 secondary coverts, bases of most of the secondaries, and the whole 

 of one of the later quills white, forming a wing-bar ; primary- 

 coverts, primaries, and greater part of secondaries black ; sides of 

 lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts white; tail white, with a 

 broad black subterminal band ; tips of middle feathers brown, of 

 the others white, the middle feathers have also a brown inner 

 border to the black band ; lower parts from breast pure white. 



Young birds have the black replaced by brown, the chin, and 

 throat white, and the white band down each side of the neck 

 sullied. 



Bill red at the base, tip black ; eyelid and wattle lake-red ; irides 

 red-brown ; legs bright yellow (Jerdon). 



Length 13 ; tail 4-5 ; wing 9 ; tarsus 3 ; bill from gape 1*5. 



Distribution. Resident throughout India and Ceylon in the 

 plains, extending on the east to Sylhet and Cachar, but not 

 recorded from Upper Assam. To the westward this Lapwing 

 ranges to Southern Persia and to Muscat in Arabia, and it is 

 found at low elevations within the North-western Himalayas, 

 amongst other places in Kashmir, and as a rare straggler at 

 G-ilgit. 



Habits, Sfc. The Eed-wattled Lapwing is a familiar and noisy 

 bird, and most of its vernacular names are given in imitation of its 

 cry, which is well expressed by the English " pity-to-do-it." It 

 is met with in open ground, often near water, generally in pairs 

 or single, more rarely in scattered nocks. It lays in a small 



YOL. IV. Q 



