232 



Biddulph. Ibis, 1881, p. 95 ; Scully, Unl. p. 587 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 65 ; 



Davidson, ibid. p. 319 ; Barnes, '.Birds Bom. p. 332. 

 Vanellus gregarius, Blyth, Cat. p. 339 ; Seebohm, Charadr. p. 211. 

 Chfttusia gregaria, Sharpe, Cat. B, M. xxiv, p. 174. 

 The Black-sided Lapwing, Jerdon. 



Fig. 53. Head of C. gregaria. %. 



Coloration. Crown black ; forehead and broad supercilia, extend- 

 ing entirely round the crown, white; lores, orbits, arid a narrow 

 line extending to the ear-coverts black ; chin white, passing into buff 

 on the throat and the sides of the face, and this passing into the 

 light ashy brown of the neck, breast, back, scapulars, tertiaries, 

 and most of the wing-coverts ; lower back rather darker ; greater 

 secondary coverts grey at base and tipped white, secondaries pure 

 white ; primary coverts black, primaries the same except at their 

 bases and on the inner border of the last primary, which are white; 

 upper tail-coverts and greater part of tail white ; a broad sub- 

 terminal black band on median rectrices, becoming narrower on 

 the other tail-feathers and disappearing on the outermost pair ; 

 the greyish-brown breast passes into the black abdomen, bordered 

 with chestnut behind; thigh-coverts, vent and lower tail-coverts, 

 flanks and wing-lining white. 



In youny birds (or, according to some, in winter plumage) the 

 crown is dark brown generally mixed with black ; forehead and 

 superciliary band buff ; upper parts darker than in adults and the 

 feathers pale-edged ; the black line from the lores and the black 

 and chestnut of the abdomen are wanting, and the lower parts are 

 white except the breast, which is mottled brown. Most Indian 

 specimens are in this plumage, but the adult phase appears to be 

 sometimes met with even in the cold season. 



Bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs dull black. 



Length 13 ; tail 3'4; wing 8 ; tarsus 2'4 ; bill from gape 1 % 2. 



Distribution. A migratory bird, breeding in Eastern Europe 

 arid Central Asia, and visiting North-eastern Africa and North- 

 western India in winter. In India it is common in parts of the 

 Punjab, and ranges east to Ondh and Buudelkhand, and south to the 

 Deccan (Nagpur, Jalna, Ahmednagar) and even E-atnagiri. 



Habits, $c. The Sociable Lapwing occurs in flocks from 4 or 5 

 to 50 or 60 in number, that keep to open country, arrive in 

 AV^.N. India in the beginning of October and leave about March. 



