170 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



Adult female. Similar to the adult male, but everywhere duller, the black band 

 on the upper fore-head very slightly indicated, the chestnut of the head and hind- 

 neck only faintly pronounced, ear-coverts brown instead of black, as also the patch 

 on the sides of the neck ; wing 105. 



Adults in winter-plumage have no black on the fore-head. A patch in front 

 of the eye and on the side of the breast brown. 



Immature. Similar to the adult in winter-plumage, but the white of the fore- 

 head not so pronounced and the feathers of the upper-surface edged with buff. 



Young. Slightly darker on the upper-surface than the adult with minute- 

 dark shaft-lines and very narrow rufous edgings to the feathers ; upper tail-coverte 

 inclining to dark brown ; head like the back ; no black line across the upper fore- 

 head ; a dusky streak on the lores ; ear-coverts like the head ; fore-head, throat, 

 and under parts generally white. 



Nestling in down. Upper-parts pale yellowish-buff, finely spotted with black ; 

 fore-head buff ; spot in front and behind the eye black as also spot below in front 

 of gape ; white collar at back of neck but no black nape band ; tail black ; winglet 

 black with pale centre and white edges ; all under-surface pure white ; a spot on 

 ear-coverts black. 



Nest. A depression by the shore. 



Eggs. Clutch, two ; ground-colour pale greenish, marked all over with dark 

 brown to purplish-black markings and fewer ones of lavender, some of the markings 

 being dots and lines ; axis 28.5 to 32 mm., diameter 23 to 24. 



Breeding-season. August to January. 



Distribution and forms. Australia only, straggling to New Zealand (once). 

 Two subspecies have been separated : L. r. rufcapillus (Temminck and Laugier) 

 from Eastern Australia, and L. r. tormenti (Mathews) from West Australia, paler 

 and slightly larger. 



Genus CHARADRIUS. 



Charadrius Linne, Syst. Nat., 10th ed., p. 150, Jan. 1st, 1758. Type (by tautonymy) : 



Charadriuf hiaticula Linn. 



JEgialitis Boie, Isis, 1822, heft 5, col. 558, May. Type (by subsequent designation Gray, 



Cat. Gen. Subgen. Birds, p. Ill, 1855) : C. hiaticula Linne. 



Hiaticula Gray, List Gen. Birds, 1st ed., p. 65, April 1840. Type (by tautonymy): C. 



hiaticula Linne. 



Small Plovers with short Vanelline bills, long wings, short tails and legs, and 

 strong feet. The bill is Vanelline, as previously defined, and is much shorter than 

 the tarsus and also than the middle toe ; it is parti -coloured in the adult, the tip 

 being black, the base pale flesh. The wing is long with the first primary longest. 

 The tail is short and square and less than half the length of the wing. The tarsus 

 is short and thick and covered with hexagonal scales. The toes are long, the outer 

 being connected with the middle one by a web near the base. No hind-toe. 



118. Charadrius cucullatus. HOODED DOTTEREL. 



Gould, Vol. VI., pi. 18 (pt. xxxiv.), Dec. 1st, 1848. Mathews, Vol. III., pt. 2, pi. 139, May 

 2nd, 1913. 



Charadrius cucullatus Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., Vol. XXVII., p. 136, Dec. 26th, 1818 : 



New South Wales. 



Charadrius monachus Wagler, Syst. Av. Charadr., sp. 15, p. (60), Oct. 1827, ex Geoffroy MS. 



New name for preceding. 



Charadrius cucullatus tregellasi Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 218, Jan. 31st, 1912 :. 



Ellensbrook, South-west Australia. 



Charadrius cucullatus torbayi Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. L, pt. 2, p. 30, April 2nd,. 



1912 : Torbay, South-west Australia. 



DISTRIBUTION. New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South and South-west Australia, 



