SQUATAROLA. 235 



Distribution. This Golden Plover breeds in Siberia and the 

 Boreal regions of America, and in winter visits Southern Asia, the 

 Malay Archipelago, Australia, and the greater part of America 

 north and south. The American variety is larger than the Asiatic, 

 but there is no constant distinction. The Asiatic form is found 

 in suitable places throughout the plains of India, Ceylon, and 

 Burma, but avoids forest regions aud highlands ; it is rare in Sind, 

 and only stragglers occur further west. It is common at the 

 Andamans and ]S r icobars and also on the Laccadives, and is more 

 abundant on flat swampy land near the coas.t and the larger rivers 

 than elsewhere. 



Habits, $c. Golden Plovers are generally found in flocks, small 

 or large, and feed on worms and insects. They have a rapid 

 flight and a peculiar bisyllabic whistling call, not often uttered by 

 the present species. Although Jerdon says that they breed in 

 India, this is very doubtful : they arrive about September, and 

 stay till the middle of May, when all have assumed full breeding- 

 dress, but hitherto no one has detected them actually nesting. 

 The hen lays four largish stone-coloured eggs, much blotched with 

 blackish. This bird is excellent eating, though scarcely equal to 

 0. pluvialis. 



1440. Charadrius pluvialis. The Golden leaver. 



Charadrius pluvialis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 254(1766); Blanford, 

 Eastern Persia, ii, p. 278 ; id. S. F. v, p. 247 ; Hume, Cat. 

 no. 845 bis ; Brooks, S. F. viii, p. 4&D ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 452 ; 

 Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 328 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxiv, p. 191. 



The European Golden Plover is distinguished from C. dominions 

 by larger size, tibia3 feathered farther down, shorter tarsi, and by 

 the axillaries and wing-lining being pure white instead of greyish 

 brown. As a rule, in winter plumage this Golden Plover is more 

 closely spotted and the spots are brighter yellow; but there is no 

 constant distinction. Even in size the large American C. do- 

 minicus is scarcely separable. 



Length 10-5 ; tail 2'8 ; wing 7'25; tarsus 1-6. 



Distribution. Europe, Northern and Tropical Africa, and Western 

 Asia, breeding in the Northern Temperate zone and farther north- 

 ward, and migrating south in winter. Stragglers only have 

 occurred within Indian limits. I shot one at Gwadar in Baluch- 

 istan in January 1872, I believe I saw another in 1876 close 

 to Karachi, and a third was shot near Sehwan by Mr. Brooks a 

 year or two later. A skin was also in Mr. Reid's collection made 

 at Luckuow. The habits resemble those of C. fulvus, but the call 

 is shriller. 



Genus SdUATAROLA, Leach, 1816. 



This genus, containing only the Grey Plover, precisely agrees 

 with Charadrius in general coloration and structure, and only 

 differs in having a minute hind toe. It undergoes precisely 



