466 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



very plump birds, whose intention probably was to pass the winter 

 at or near their breeding home. 



The return of the old birds to their summer homes, in more or 

 less perfect breeding plumage, takes place in the course of May 

 and the first week of June. The black feathers of the underside 

 as far as the middle of the neck, which are renewed by moulting, 

 are in these individuals, during the latter period of their passage, al- 

 most always perfectly complete; but the black markings of the upper 

 portions of the neck, the throat, and cheeks, which are produced by 

 alteration of the colour of the feathers, are frequently incomplete. 



It is a singular phenomenon that in stuffed examples which 

 have been kept for a long time exposed to the light, the pure black 

 acquired by alteration of colour fades again to a pale brownish 

 black, whereas all the black portions renewed by moulting retain 

 their deep and glossy black colour. 



From the middle of June and throughout July, solitary old birds 

 for the most part, partially in breeding plumage, are met with ; 

 these are individuals which, for some reason or another, have 

 not migrated to their nesting-stations, and are roving about during 

 the summer months in aimless fashion, as is the case under like 

 conditions with large numbers of individuals of other species of 

 this genus, as well as of other closely related genera. 



Their breeding range extends over the whole of northern Europe, 

 and in Asia, at least as far as the Jenesei, Seebohm having met 

 with it at the mouth of that river. 



266. Asiatic Golden Plover [ASIATISCHER GOLDREGEN- 



PFEIFER]. 



CHARADRIUS FULVUS, Gmelin. 



Charadrius longipes. Naumann, xiii. ; Blasius, Nachtrdge, 221. 

 Asiatic Golden Plover. Dresser, vii. 443. 



This interesting stranger I have obtained on three occasions, 

 the first example being a fine male in perfect plumage, which was 

 secured on the 25th of June 1857 ; the second, a younger female, 

 was obtained on the 18th of June 1860. In this example, the altera- 

 tion of the colour from the summer to the winter plumage had 

 proceeded so far as to develop the black colour of the lower parts 

 and foreneck to about half its full extent. Finally, on the llth of 

 July 1867, 1 obtained another remarkably fine old male in the most 

 perfect breeding plumage. Since the last date, this neatly-shaped 

 bird has not been seen again on the island. 



Despite its close resemblance in colour to C. auratus, there can 



